Podcasts about middle earth

Join The Man of the West as we continue our walk through Middle-earth with a visit to Nan Curunír, Isengard, and Orthanc itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 104 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film Dave Giannini to discuss the last films in their Peter Jackson series, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012/2013/2014). After the failure of The Lovely Bones, Jackson and company turned their attention back to a familiar place, Middle Earth. First starting as a producer, The Hobbit would find Jackson getting back in the director's chair for the prequel to his acclaimed The Lord of the Rings series, taking over the project from Guillermo del Toro, who seemed to struggle to get his vision of the film to mash with what the studio wanted. Instead of the initial two films suggested to tell the story, Jackson set out to make another trilogy, drawing from other texts of J. R. R. Tolkien in order to expand on this smaller story, giving it a grander history to the original trilogy, as well as adding new characters and elements to the classic tale. But Jackson can't capture the magic of The Lord of the Rings, making a messy, CGI heavy collection of films that become more and more tedious as the trilogy goes on; wasting solid performances because the story is now in the hands of a director more focused on his creative toys than making something as spectacular as the trilogy that made him a household name. Ryan, Jay, and Dave breakdown their thoughts on the films, why they look so ugly, the unnecessary love story found in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, how cool dragons are, how there aren't five armies in The Battle of the Five Armies, why these films turn into being a chore by the time they were released, and wonder if Jackson will ever go back to making feature films. The guys also give out their rankings on the Jackson series and reveal who they will be covering for their next movie series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h42m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, RoboCop. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

The team chat about how pizzas at the pentagon led to correct predictions of rising tensions between Israel and Iran, schoolground antics at the G7 (otherwise known as the G6+1), Starmer's papers pickup and Trump's pathetic military parade… They also report on Van Gogh's broken chair, Uri Geller's insistence on his psychic powers and play Middle Earth's greatest game: ‘Mordor or More Door?'…  If you enjoy the podcast, please give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and make sure you subscribe there so you don't miss an episode!    For updates on the show and to get involved in future 'Missing Words Rounds', make sure you're following Have I Got News for You on Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly known as twitter) and get in touch with us there or emailing podcasts@hattrick.com.     Your hosts are Jack Harris  Queenie Miller   Emerald Paston   And Mike Rayment    The Producer is Diggory Waite  The Executive Producer is Claire Broughton  The Music is by Big George    In the News This Week is a Hat Trick Podcast

In this fascinating episode of Fingal's Cave, host Ian Priston sits down with a legendary figure from Pink Floyd's early days - an underground taper known as The Masked Marauder. One of just a few people who recorded the band live in the 1960s, he shares candid memories of the counterculture, classic gigs at UFO and Middle Earth, and capturing historic BBC radio sessions from his living room.Hear personal reflections on:• Syd Barrett and David Gilmour-era Pink Floyd shows• Legendary venues like the Roundhouse and Eel Pie Island• Taping the The Man and The Journey premiere and other bands such as Soft Machine• His bohemian lifestyle, radical activism, and outsider spirit.Now 82 and sharp as ever, the Masked Marauder brings the psychedelic era to life with wit, warmth, and authenticity. A must-listen for Pink Floyd fans, music historians, and anyone interested in the London 1960s underground scene.Recorded at his home on a busy London street, the conversation is rich with atmosphere, quiet pauses, and thoughtful insights. As always, Fingal's Cave favours authentic conversations over formal interviews.Please find here a subtitled version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjUAxlTTvAgSubscribe to Fingal's Cave for more journeys to the edges of Pink Floyd music history.

No, The Man of the West isn't in a hurry and he's no more talkative than usual. Today's Middle-earth Map Monday continues our visit in Rohan as we stop by the Fords of Isen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We wrap up our exploration of Narnia and Middle Earth talking about the virtue of friendship: why is it so important for us? How is it a help?

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 103 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lovely Bones (2009). Oh how the mighty fall. By the end of the 2000s, director Peter Jackson was still riding off the high of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, as he looked to make his next project. In finding the novel The Lovely Bones, Jackson connected with the idea of a young girl using the afterlife to process her death as well as help her family heal after said tragedy, and attempt to catch the person who killed her. Using CGI and green-screen for the in-between world and the afterlife, Jackson tried to bring together one of the most popular young-adult novels of the time, but in doing so, got distracted by his special effects and new techniques for these sequences, and instead, he created an emotionless slog of a film that was (and still is) considered by all to be a massive misstep within his career. Ryan, Jay, and Karen breakdown the film, how Jackson and his team did in adapting the novel to the big screen, the major casting shift at the center of the film, the current status of Saoirse Ronan's career, how Stanley Tucci should never have hair in a movie, and how massive of a misstep it is from the same mind that brought us Heavenly Creatures. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h21m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his set of other Middle Earth films, The Hobbit trilogy. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Al and Kev talk about the Wholesome Direct Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:53: Feedback 00:03:18: What Have We Been Up To 00:30:35: Snacko 1.0 00:32:46: Wholesome Direct 01:04:25: Outro Links Snacko 1.0 Wholesome Direct Wholesome Games Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. (0:00:34) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:36) Kev: I’m Kevin. We’re back baby. This is the first episode back, right? (0:00:38) Al: They said they said we couldn’t do it, Kevin. (0:00:41) Al: They said we couldn’t do it. (0:00:43) Al: We said we couldn’t go on a break and come back because no one goes on a break (0:00:46) Kev: The they being you, I think primarily. (0:00:48) Al: and then comes back. (0:00:52) Al: No, everyone. (0:00:53) Al: Nobody believed in me. (0:00:57) Al: But here we are. (0:00:58) Al: back and here we are here today to talk (0:01:00) Al: about so many Cottagecore games like so many that I think some might just be that’s a game (0:01:03) Kev: Oh, a lot like they double. (0:01:06) Kev: It in the last five minutes. (0:01:13) Al: moving on we’ll see we’ll see we are we are here today to talk about the Wholesome Direct (0:01:14) Kev: Yeah, probably a lot of them we’re talking about the wholesome direct everyone (0:01:23) Al: specifically and a bunch of stuff in that not everything because it was an hour long and (0:01:30) Al: talked about everything in an hour long presentation we would probably be here all day and it’s already (0:01:37) Al: half eight at night that’s that’s also that’s also true so we’re going to talk about that we (0:01:37) Kev: and we don’t have enough to talk about it (0:01:40) Kev: ‘cause we don’t care about all of them. (0:01:46) Al: do have one piece of news that I want to cover before that and before that we’re going to talk (0:01:53) Al: about what we’ve been up to but first of all Kevin we’ve got feedback this is being sent in by Katie (0:01:56) Kev: Oh! (0:02:00) Al: of the show I have been listening to the podcast for some time now and it’s a highlight of my week (0:02:02) Kev: Uh-oh. (0:02:06) Al: not last two weeks so sorry I really enjoy hearing your honest and sometimes brutal opinions on games (0:02:06) Kev: When did we ruin it for her? (0:02:14) Al: and I especially enjoy how positive and how much energy Kev has on his solo episodes keep up the (0:02:21) Al: amazing work. There we go Kevin. You got a shout out. (0:02:23) Kev: Okay, I’m going, I’m trying to refrain from, you know, being sarcastic or whatever, putting myself down. But thank you very much. Sincerely, that means a lot. I have a lot of practice talking to myself. I think that’s what it is in my head space. Now, I just put a mic in front of it. (0:02:38) Al: I feel like the brutal opinions on games has to be talking about Shugadu Island, right? (0:02:54) Kev: Oh, I feel like there’s a number of episodes we could point to, including the ones we like. (0:02:58) Al: That is the particularly bad one. Well anyway, thank you Katie for the feedback. If you too (0:03:00) Kev: Yeah. (0:03:05) Al: want to send feedback you can do it on the website harvestseason.club (0:03:08) Al: There’s a feedback from there. Come send us more and you’ll get a mention on the podcast. (0:03:12) Kev: Yeah, all right. (0:03:15) Kev: You’d like right now, yay. (0:03:16) Kev: Thank you, Katie. (0:03:17) Kev: I very much appreciate it. (0:03:19) Al: Next Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:03:22) Kev: Boy, what do I– (0:03:23) Kev: Well, my internet has been out for a week, (0:03:27) Kev: so let’s start with that. (0:03:28) Al: That’s unfortunate. (0:03:29) Kev: Yep, it’s been a headache. (0:03:33) Kev: But here I am using not working internet. (0:03:40) Kev: But that’s kind of– (0:03:42) Kev: affected a lot of my gameplay, because so I didn’t realize just how many of my games are like online only. (0:03:48) Kev: Or have to connect to servers or whatever, like Zendless on Zero has a 2.0 update. I haven’t played that. Marvel Snap, (0:03:55) Kev: I don’t get that many games in this week. My phone’s dying, so it can’t– for whatever reason Snap just crashes on it now. (0:04:01) Kev: So I have to pretty much play on PC these days. (0:04:05) Kev: But Unite is gone, so on and so forth. (0:04:09) Kev: The one game I have been playing though (0:04:12) Kev: Unicorn Overlord, are you familiar with that, Al? (0:04:14) Al: I am. I’m a photo. (0:04:16) Kev: Okay, oh man, it’s… (0:04:20) Kev: So I picked it up on sale, it was like 30 USD, which is pretty cheap for a game of this size. (0:04:24) Kev: Um, it’s for people unfamiliar, it’s a strategy, real-time game. (0:04:32) Kev: I like Fire Emblem, but real-time. (0:04:34) Kev: And Good Heavens, this game does all the things I like in that game. (0:04:40) Kev: Um, okay. (0:04:42) Kev: So, have you ever played a Fire Emblem, Al? (0:04:44) Al: No. (0:04:44) Kev: Okay, but I assume you’re familiar with the concept of super-trust, right? (0:04:47) Al: Yeah. (0:04:48) Al: Yeah. (0:04:48) Kev: Yeah, okay. So, like I said, that’s correct. (0:04:51) Al: They’ve all got swords, that’s what I’m aware of. (0:04:54) Kev: And Unicorn Overlord also has swords. (0:04:56) Kev: Actually, Unicorn Overlord has a lot of Fire Emblem stuff. (0:05:00) Kev: It’s very much like an homage/love letter to a lot of strategy games, Fire Emblem included. (0:05:06) Kev: So, it has a lot of the elements borrowed from that. (0:05:10) Kev: that are like likely it feels (0:05:12) Kev: less like trying to knock them off and more become the wash / love letter anyway (0:05:19) Kev: so unlike Fire Emblem which is grid based this is not grid based it’s real (0:05:24) Kev: time you just send your units point A to point B and they’ll travel as close to (0:05:29) Kev: straight line as they can also they in Fire Emblem each character is a single (0:05:36) Kev: unit in this game you assemble teams of up to five characters in one unit with (0:05:42) Kev: front row and a back row so all of a sudden the complexity is through the (0:05:46) Kev: roof and it’s really enjoyable in my opinion right you got tanks in front (0:05:50) Kev: archers in the back so on and so forth and each character you can load them out (0:05:58) Kev: with different equipment skills and stuff and Fire Emblem is like every (0:06:02) Kev: character gets like two or three items that do almost just that’s basically but (0:06:07) Kev: in this one you can you can change their move sets so there’s (0:06:12) Kev: it like layers and layers and layers of complexity which is (0:06:15) Kev: really, really good. Yeah, I really, really like this game. (0:06:20) Kev: I’m at 60 hours so far. Yeah, good. No internet. So just (0:06:26) Kev: crushing it. But it is. It’s the arts really nice. Very, very (0:06:31) Kev: pretty. But but oh, great, great stuff. Um, yeah, that’s that’s (0:06:38) Kev: kind of the big thing I’ve been up to. (0:06:42) Kev: All right, Al, what about you? (0:06:44) Kev: Tell me– tell the poor pleb about the switch, too. (0:06:46) Al: The Switch 2, what? What are you talking about? Yes, yes, I’ve got the Switch 2 and I’ve been (0:06:52) Al: playing Mario Kart World. I haven’t had a huge amount of time on it yet. As we are talking, (0:06:58) Al: I have been… I was away. I was not at home when the Switch 2 came out on Thursday, and (0:07:06) Al: it was delivered to my home. I didn’t get back till Saturday evening, and so that’s (0:07:11) Al: about 24 hours ago as of now. So, yeah, I’ve not had a huge amount of time. (0:07:16) Al: Especially as obviously I had to set it up, and you know, I have kids and a life, and (0:07:20) Al: I can’t just always play the game. But I have put in a couple hours into it, both myself (0:07:27) Al: and me and my son playing it together, and it’s fun. I enjoy it. What I will say is that (0:07:35) Al: I love a lot of the… It’s a lot more reactive in terms of like, your character does a lot (0:07:44) Al: more while playing, which makes it feel (0:07:46) Al: a lot more real, right? Like there are more reactions to things. And, uh, so it’s really (0:07:54) Al: hard to explain, but there’s just lots of little things that they do that make it feel real. Um, (0:08:00) Al: the animations are all more detailed. Uh, when you, when you hit a car, you don’t now just like (0:08:07) Al: stop in the same way that you do when hit by, uh, uh, you know, a weapon you like get knocked to (0:08:15) Al: the side and you can actually (0:08:17) Al: there was one today where I was like hit it in such a way that I actually just ended up going up on two wheels (0:08:24) Al: and continuing to move. (0:08:26) Kev: What? (0:08:28) Al: Yeah, exactly. So there’s just lots of little things like that. (0:08:30) Al: It’s you don’t, whereas in Mario Kart 8, if you hit a vehicle, no matter how you hit it, (0:08:37) Al: you would just, you would just stop. (0:08:37) Kev: You do the somersault, you know, or whatever, yeah, uh-huh, yeah. (0:08:38) Al: Yeah, exactly. You’d just do the standard. (0:08:40) Al: I’ve been hit by something I have now stopped, whereas that’s not necessary. (0:08:44) Al: If you hit it, like, straight on, you will slow down. (0:08:46) Al: And, you know, spin off to the side. (0:08:49) Al: But if you hit it in certain ways, you can actually just keep going. (0:08:52) Al: It just depends on exactly how you hit it, which makes it a lot more fun, I think. (0:08:59) Al: And, you know, different weapons do different things depending (0:09:03) Al: on where they hit you and how they hit you and stuff like that. (0:09:06) Al: Which it is, it is, it’s really interesting. (0:09:06) Kev: Really, that’s fascinating. (0:09:10) Al: And it just, yeah, just the animations, like, you feel like the character moves (0:09:16) Al: the vehicle. It doesn’t just feel like you are one car, one model, stuff like that. (0:09:20) Kev: Wow, that’s the power of the Switch 2. (0:09:26) Al: Or is it the power of, like, 10 years of developing the next Mario Kart game? (0:09:31) Kev: No, no, this wasn’t possible on the Switch 1. (0:09:34) Kev: Impossible, absolutely. (0:09:38) Al: And I also like how, so one of the things about this game is obviously you’re just choosing (0:09:44) Al: a car rather than like choosing the body. (0:09:46) Al: The wheels and what’s it called, parachute. (0:09:49) Kev: Right. (0:09:53) Al: I quite like that because there’s less for you to have to think about. (0:09:57) Al: But what I do like is that each of the carts looks slightly different depending on the character. (0:10:04) Kev: Wow, that’s impressive. (0:10:06) Al: It’s not just like the base cart, the Mario cart, that if you’re Mario it’s red with the M on it. (0:10:10) Al: If you’re Luigi it’s green with the L on it. (0:10:14) Al: if you’re the cow, it’s grey with the cow. (0:10:16) Al: They put a lot of attention to detail in this game, a lot of effort. (0:10:18) Kev: - That’s all. (0:10:28) Kev: Wow, that’s impressive genuinely, like wow, that’s attention to detail. (0:10:38) Al: It’s really fun. Some things are going to take some getting used to like the controls are (0:10:44) Al: are obviously slightly different. (0:10:46) Al: The thing that’s knocking me off a lot is in eight and before, if you wanted to hold (0:10:54) Al: like a shell or banana behind you, you would have to hold down the fire button. Whereas now (0:10:58) Kev: Mm-hmm. Yeah. (0:11:02) Al: that happens by default. So as soon as you have it in the priority slot, it is behind you. (0:11:06) Kev: Okay, huh, I think. Okay. Sure, sure. I feel like at least one (0:11:09) Al: And then if you press it and hold it, it will just fire it. So I have spent a lot of time (0:11:17) Al: things because I was trying to have them behind me. But that’s just how you get used to it. (0:11:21) Al: And eventually you’ll stop doing that. But yeah. (0:11:25) Kev: other Mario Kart did that. But it’s not as common at the very (0:11:30) Al: possibly. Well, that’s the thing. Like, do I remember how things before 8 actually worked? (0:11:30) Kev: least, or regardless, it’s been what 10 years with our hard part (0:11:34) Kev: eight. (0:11:36) Kev: That’s how - that’s how video game historians - yeah, yeah. Now that’s fair. That’s how (0:11:39) Al: No, I do not. I’m not an idea. I don’t go back and play old Mario Kart all the time, right? (0:11:46) Al: That’s not my life. (0:11:50) Kev: video game historians chronicle things in the BMK8 era or the AMK8 era. But that’s (0:12:00) Kev: good stuff. Okay, how does - how does the free driving world… (0:12:04) Al: I haven’t done any of that yet. I’ve just been playing Grand Prix. I will say… (0:12:08) Kev: Mmm. Well, I mean, but you - you have between the phrases now, right? Like, that’s - you feel a (0:12:14) Al: So yeah, so I think no, is how I’ll say it. It is not like what I think Free Run will be at all. (0:12:15) Kev: taste of it. (0:12:26) Al: You’re not really driving between the courses. How it is, is yes you are driving, like you start (0:12:32) Al: Start on the finish line of the previous course. (0:12:35) Al: And then the first lap is to the starting line of the next course. (0:12:42) Al: And then this, and then you’ve got the second and third laps are on the course. (0:12:46) Al: It depends on what course it is. (0:12:47) Al: Like some of them are shorter, like baby park, and you actually have like then (0:12:51) Al: multiple laps around it, or a lot of them aren’t just like a single loop that you (0:12:56) Al: do a certain number of times. (0:12:57) Al: A lot of them are like the ones where you, you just have one long course that (0:13:01) Al: you do different sections of. (0:13:03) Al: It just depends on what it is. (0:13:05) Al: I am, I don’t really like it. (0:13:09) Al: I personally would just prefer the standard you’ve got your three courses (0:13:13) Al: and you do your three laps or however many laps. (0:13:16) Kev: » Sure, sure. (0:13:16) Al: Um, the driving between it just feels kind of tacked on and it almost feels (0:13:22) Al: like they wanted the open world thing. (0:13:24) Al: And sure, fine. (0:13:25) Al: I don’t, I I’ve not tried it yet, but I, I can imagine it’d be interesting. (0:13:30) Al: Um, but the all you must drive between the courses, the bit that is (0:13:35) Al: between the courses feels pretty either feels pretty generic and boring, or just (0:13:40) Al: feels like the previous course that you just finished and you’re like, I don’t (0:13:44) Al: understand why I’m still doing this course when I’m on the next course. (0:13:49) Al: And it doesn’t, the other, the other thing that I found a bit weird was it (0:13:52) Al: doesn’t start straight away. (0:13:55) Al: Like once you hit the finish line, you go into like, Oh, here’s the rankings. (0:13:59) Al: And then you have to start it again. (0:14:01) Al: And then because you’re starting again, you’re starting on the finish (0:14:04) Al: and it just feels like that’s a weird jarring thing. (0:14:08) Al: It’s like, Oh, you finished that race. (0:14:10) Al: Now let’s start the next race on this point. (0:14:13) Al: Like where you just finished, like it just, it feels like an idea that someone (0:14:17) Al: had, and then they went, yeah, let’s do that. (0:14:20) Al: But they never really did anything with it. (0:14:22) Al: And it almost would have felt more realistic or more interesting. (0:14:28) Al: If it just, the race hadn’t stopped at any point, or maybe if it, if you have. (0:14:35) Al: You have to wait for everyone else to get there, like, if you just like stayed in (0:14:40) Al: position at that point, and waited for everyone to catch up, but the fact that (0:14:41) Kev: Yeah, in that way, kind of– (0:14:46) Al: it goes like, Oh, now we’re going to like cut to this other screen, like they do in (0:14:50) Al: previous Mario carts, where you show the rankings, it almost defeats the purpose (0:14:54) Al: of then, then driving between the two courses. (0:14:57) Kev: Yeah, that’s so weird to me because, yeah, that doesn’t from the way it was described, like, that would have been, you know, what I would have thought, right? Like, you there, you know, you hit the finish line and then you just keep driving and maybe ranking is on the side or something. (0:14:57) Al: It’s like, well, what happened, what happened in that time? (0:15:00) Al: Because now I’m back on the finish line. (0:15:16) Al: 100% why I expected. And I guess the reason they don’t do that is they want everyone to catch up (0:15:19) Kev: That’s wild. (0:15:21) Al: so that you’re all starting at the same time for the next race. Sure, fine. But I feel like you (0:15:25) Kev: But, okay. (0:15:27) Kev: Yeah, but what’s the point? Like, that’s baffling to me. (0:15:28) Al: could have done that transition better, right? I don’t– I understand why they want something (0:15:34) Kev: Um… (0:15:37) Al: like this. It feels like it’s another mode, and I feel like they should have kept Grand Prix (0:15:41) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:15:44) Al: as it was. And then this was like (0:15:45) Kev: Yeah. (0:15:47) Al: a new type of tour. A grand tour instead of a grand prix. I’m not saying this is bad, (0:15:48) Kev: Yeah, that’s what they should have done. Absolutely. Yeah, exactly. There you go. (0:15:56) Al: I’m saying I don’t like that this is instead of what we had before. (0:16:00) Kev: Right, right. I get that. Yeah, from what you’re describing, it doesn’t… (0:16:05) Kev: Yeah, it sounds like they fumbled that execution just a little bit. (0:16:09) Kev: And if you’re not here completely removing the standard Grand Prix for that, like, that’s a problem. That’s rough. (0:16:14) Al: Exactly. (0:16:16) Al: Exactly. (0:16:17) Al: Exactly. (0:16:17) Kev: Well, we’ll see. Like, I mean, I… I mean, I personally think we’re going to get DLCs that are just going to be standard Grand Prix-type modes. (0:16:19) Al: We will see. (0:16:30) Al: Interesting. I can’t see them not doing DLC for this. For two reasons, one, they did two sets of DLC for the previous game, and two… (0:16:31) Kev: Because… (0:16:35) Kev: Right, exactly, right? (0:16:40) Kev: Mm-hmm. And DLC for the remastered version of the game, that DLC. Yeah. (0:16:46) Al: Well, yeah, that was the second one. But anyway, secondly, it doesn’t feel like there’s enough races, because you have, like, eight. (0:16:56) Al: And it doesn’t feel like (0:17:00) Al: enough to me. I’m not regretting buying the game, especially because I got it in (0:17:01) Kev: Not anymore (0:17:05) Kev: Yeah (0:17:06) Al: the bundle, right? But I totally get why people are like, Oh, that feels like a lot (0:17:10) Al: of money for eight, eight grand prix. Especially when like, the preview, like, I don’t, I’m (0:17:18) Al: not expecting it necessarily will be free DLC. And obviously people complain about that, (0:17:23) Al: right? They’re like, Oh, you’re charging us $80 and then you’re also charging us more (0:17:24) Kev: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Sure. Yeah, yeah, that’s what I suspect too. (0:17:27) Al: courses. But I can (0:17:30) Al: see the DLC being reasonably cheap, and it’s just like $10 or whatever, right? (0:17:36) Al: But it just, yeah, eight just feels, eight isn’t even as many as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had. Eight (0:17:42) Al: Deluxe had 10. And so eight had eight, of course. Mario Kart 8 had eight courses, and then they (0:17:44) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:17:48) Kev: Yeah (0:17:51) Al: added on eight grumpries, sorry, and then they added on two, I think, for DLC initially. And then that (0:17:56) Kev: - DLC, that’s correct. (0:17:57) Kev: - Yeah. (0:17:57) Al: That was all bundled together as Mario Kart 8 delivered. (0:18:00) Al: So Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had 10 and then they doubled in the other DLC, yeah. (0:18:00) Kev: - And then they doubled the number. (0:18:05) Al: So it just feels a little bit meh that we’re not even, we’ve not even got as many races as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. (0:18:12) Kev: Yeah. Yeah, that’s fair, right? Like it’s, I think the pain point is just this, the way you’ve described how they fumbled their new Grand Prix version, right? Because like I could, I could live with eight cups or whatever, if it was the standard Grand Prix that, you know, you could just do ad nauseam like, you know, other Mario karts and it’d be fine. (0:18:12) Al: And then this is more expensive. (0:18:15) Al: None of that, none of that feels good. (0:18:43) Kev: But if you’re replacing that and given something that feels a little worse or a little awkward, yeah, it’s going to be rough. (0:18:51) Al: And let me get and let me point out the courses are really good. (0:18:55) Kev: Sure. Yeah. Are there any, any new ones you’re fond of that you’ve seen so far? (0:18:57) Al: And like. (0:19:02) Al: The the one I particularly like, obviously, I’ve not done them all. (0:19:06) Al: And I’ve not done them all yet, but the one that I’m particularly (0:19:10) Al: enjoying is the Donkey Kong one, I can’t remember what it’s called. (0:19:12) Kev: hmm is uh I don’t know which one because there’s obviously been a handful or if it’s a new one but uh okay (0:19:18) Al: Yeah, let me check. (0:19:20) Al: I think it’s a new one. (0:19:21) Al: And that I think is really fun. (0:19:25) Kev: oh yeah they saw they showed that one in the trailer first yeah that one looked cool (0:19:32) Al: You’re essentially it’s one of the ones that’s not like laps. (0:19:35) Al: It’s one specific course and you end at the end. (0:19:39) Al: And what I really like it is you’re essentially going through a Donkey Kong level, right? (0:19:44) Al: Like you’re going up this course and then at the end at the top is a robotic Donkey (0:19:46) Kev: Really? That’s cool. (0:19:51) Al: Kong, throwing barrels down at you. (0:19:53) Kev: Oh, that’s so cool. (0:19:55) Al: So I really like that and there’s like lots of stuff to avoid and there’s bouncy pads (0:20:01) Al: and stuff like that. (0:20:03) Kev: That’s so cool (0:20:06) Kev: And I can’t wait to check that out (0:20:08) Kev: But I mean, obviously we’re nitpicking but still Mario Kart, right? Like it’s still the overall good (0:20:12) Al: Yeah, I don’t regret it. I obviously want the bundle, but if I paid full price for this, (0:20:18) Al: I still wouldn’t be regretting it. It is still really good fun and it’s still going to sell (0:20:20) Kev: Yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely. And cow is playable. Yep. Wait, really? That’s hilarious. That’s incredible. (0:20:22) Al: like bonkers. But yeah, I mean, and Caro is one of the best characters to actually play (0:20:30) Al: as. It’s one of the meta characters. It is, yeah. So yeah, I’m enjoying it. I get why (0:20:37) Kev: Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure. Mm-hmm. Well, that’ll be– that’s awesome. (0:20:42) Al: people might be frustrated with it and I haven’t tried everything in it yet, so I guess (0:20:47) Al: we’ll see. (0:20:50) Kev: Can’t wait to hear more people. I haven’t heard much about it, (0:20:54) Kev: but I’m obviously interested in the free roam mode or whatever. But good stuff. (0:21:04) Kev: How was vacation world not– how was touching grass? (0:21:07) Al: Yeah, I wasn’t really on holiday. I was still working. In fact, I was working more than (0:21:12) Kev: Oh, were you? (0:21:13) Al: I normally do. I was just doing it in a different place. But I didn’t have my kids, so it was (0:21:15) Kev: Oh, that was me this week, too. (0:21:21) Al: relaxing in some way. No, I had fun. It was a little bit frustrating on the Thursday at (0:21:21) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:21:27) Al: the end to be like, “Everyone’s getting their Switch too, and mine’s at home. I just can’t (0:21:30) Al: get it.” But it was only two days. It was only two days, yeah. But it wasn’t even (0:21:30) Kev: mmm your squid word and patrick and sponger outside (0:21:37) Al: like it feels worse than the people who just weren’t getting it, I feel, right? Because (0:21:42) Kev: yeah yeah yeah yeah (0:21:42) Al: you’re like, “Oh yeah, that’s annoying, and I don’t have it, and I feel like I’m missing (0:21:46) Al: out.” But I was like, “I have paid money, and I have had one delivered to me. It’s just (0:21:51) Kev: I shouldn’t be missing out (0:21:52) Al: I am not where it is.” (0:21:55) Kev: oh there yeah I can see that that’s funny yeah obviously I haven’t gotten my (0:22:00) Kev: i’ll probably have or well not mine i’m getting one for calvin next week is a little late birthday (0:22:05) Kev: present um so i’ll be able to join the ranks of people driving his cow and talking about it (0:22:16) Kev: 24 racers that’s insane (0:22:16) Al: um it is and it does it does mean that you like especially the there’s a lot of kind of I think (0:22:24) Al: they might need to do some rebalancing in terms of how things work especially like the rubber (0:22:28) Al: banding and stuff like that because like if you don’t if you if you don’t get up to first place (0:22:30) Kev: Oh, yeah (0:22:33) Al: quickly you’re probably not going to stay there uh um the the middle just feels absolutely insane (0:22:36) Kev: Oh, that’s good. Oh, that’s good stuff. I (0:22:41) Al: just now. So, yeah. (0:22:43) Kev: Can’t you know back in back in the old days there are eight racers (0:22:55) Kev: It’s crazy to think like there are some chunks with that many characters (0:22:59) Al: You have to have two whole pages to view everyone. (0:23:00) Kev: in a race (0:23:03) Kev: The rankings, oh my goodness. Oh, that’s incredible. Oh (0:23:10) Kev: Good time (0:23:12) Al: The other thing I’ve tried out on my Switch 2 is Pokemon Violet, and let me tell you, (0:23:18) Al: obviously if you didn’t like the game before, you’re not going to like the game suddenly (0:23:20) Kev: Right, it doesn’t fix a lot of the core design issues, but yeah. (0:23:21) Al: now that it’s running at a decent speed. (0:23:24) Al: Exactly, it’s still the same game, but my word is incredible. (0:23:29) Al: If you like the game, it is an incredible upgrade, just so good. (0:23:36) Kev: - Mm-hmm, but yeah, yeah, I’ll sit. (0:23:41) Al: It drives me insane whenever I see anyone talking about this and people will reply and (0:23:45) Al: be like, “Oh, it’s $500 to get the game how it should have been.” (0:23:49) Al: I don’t shut up. (0:23:50) Al: I don’t care. (0:23:51) Al: It doesn’t matter. (0:23:52) Al: Yeah, you don’t like it. (0:23:53) Al: Don’t play it. (0:23:54) Al: Don’t buy this. (0:23:55) Al: Shut up, right? (0:23:56) Al: Let me enjoy the fact that this game now runs incredibly. (0:23:59) Al: And you know what I’m most excited for with this is how well I think the new game’s going (0:24:05) Al: to run. (0:24:06) Al: Because there’s no way it will run worse than this, right? (0:24:10) Kev: Well, well. (0:24:10) Al: Because well, no, no, no, let me, let me, let me. (0:24:13) Al: So my point is, right, like it is a clearly a much more small and focused world, right? (0:24:19) Al: And one of the big issues of this game was the fact that the world is like all loaded (0:24:23) Al: at once. (0:24:24) Kev: Oh, oh you’re talking about ZA. I thought you meant yeah. Okay. Oh no. Yeah. Yes (0:24:25) Al: Yeah, yeah. Oh, no, I’m not even thinking about that. (0:24:29) Al: just now. Not even thinking about that just now. (0:24:30) Kev: Yeah, ZA is gonna be great. Yeah. Sure sure sure. Yeah, that’s fine (0:24:34) Al: And so if this game runs this well, like surely that game will run just as well. And (0:24:40) Al: it’s going to be so good. And I think it looks, it looks better, right? Like a lot of the (0:24:45) Al: thing about this game is that it just looks bland and meh. And yeah, the character models (0:24:46) Kev: Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. (0:24:51) Al: don’t look amazing in the new game, but I don’t really care about that, right? Like everything (0:24:55) Al: else in my opinion looks a lot nicer, kind of like the, you know, the (0:24:59) Al: bright colours in the night. I think the night time in particular is going to look really good in that game, especially on (0:25:04) Kev: I agree. Yeah, that is nice, right? Because, like, okay, obviously, we all know I’m unknown, (0:25:12) Kev: Scarlet Violet, Disparage or Dissenter, whatever you want to call it, right? I’m critical. (0:25:16) Al: For fair reasons, I’ve like, I’ve not, I’ve never, I’ve never said that your reasons are not the totally fair reasons. (0:25:18) Kev: Just a little bit critical. Like you said, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, like, you know, there’s a lot of design choices. (0:25:30) Kev: Design Choices. (0:25:32) Kev: I don’t like other people who I like. (0:25:34) Kev: It’s not fixing those issues, but like I think just how poorly it ran. (0:25:44) Kev: You know that like I’m an Nintendo fan. (0:25:46) Kev: I’m a Pokemon fan. (0:25:48) Kev: I don’t care about technical stuff, generally speaking, right? (0:25:52) Kev: But like it was just so bad that even even someone like me, it felt embarrassing. (0:25:58) Kev: Like it was rough. (0:26:00) Kev: So it’s nice to have at least that improved. (0:26:01) Al: No one, no one defends it. Right? Like with, with other, with other games, like Legends, (0:26:08) Al: like some of us are like, actually, I like how it looks, right? Like I, you know, I don’t, (0:26:10) Kev: Yeah (0:26:12) Al: I think that a lot of that is down to taste, but with, with the performance issues in this (0:26:14) Kev: Sure (0:26:17) Al: game, it was just embarrassing. Nobody justified it. And if anybody even tried to, you’d be (0:26:19) Kev: It would nope, yeah, yeah (0:26:22) Al: like, come on, like let’s be real here. You can like the game and still admit how terrible (0:26:28) Al: the performances. Whereas now, it’s just… (0:26:29) Kev: Yep (0:26:33) Kev: Yeah, it’s crazy I’ve seen clips online it’s wild the difference (0:26:38) Kev: I genuinely did. (0:26:42) Kev: I did not think it would upgrade that much. (0:26:44) Al: Yeah. And that’s handheld as well, not even docked. In handheld, it feels incredible. (0:26:47) Kev: That’s crazy. (0:26:52) Kev: Important question. (0:26:55) Kev: Have you tried the raids? (0:26:57) Kev: Because that was the… (0:26:57) Al: I have not. Yeah, I’m not convinced it’s going to make a massive difference to raids, because (0:26:59) Kev: Okay, ‘cause that’s… (0:27:00) Kev: I mean, it’s great the world runs right now, (0:27:02) Kev: but the raids, like… (0:27:05) Kev: Oh. (0:27:08) Al: I think a lot of the issue with raids was the internet communication. But I don’t tend (0:27:12) Kev: Yeah, probably, but I was curious it’s like (0:27:17) Al: to do raids a huge amount. I do them when there’s a seven star out, if possible. If (0:27:20) Kev: Yeah (0:27:21) Al: possible I do them as a solo build, so I don’t have to deal with other people. (0:27:23) Kev: Mm-hmm, I yeah. No, that’s fair (0:27:28) Kev: But yeah, that’s uh (0:27:30) Kev: Because if raids were good like I genuinely might be tempted (0:27:35) Kev: Consider another playthrough to give it a second chance on switch do but anyways, not that I’ll have one for a while, but (0:27:42) Al: Well, we’ll see, we’ll see. (0:27:42) Kev: Anyways, that’s good stuff (0:27:46) Kev: that (0:27:47) Kev: that’s nice and (0:27:49) Kev: Yeah, good on you Pokemon team for putting the effort to make that happen (0:27:54) Al: Yeah, I clearly, like, I wonder whether they’d been working on this before the game came (0:28:00) Al: out or whether this is in reaction to the game coming out and being terrible. Because (0:28:04) Kev: Yeah. (0:28:05) Al: they did tell us, like, oh, we hear you and we understand. And the question is, was that (0:28:11) Al: the point where they go, oh, we can’t just, like, let this go. Like, this is something (0:28:16) Al: we actually need to deal with. And then, obviously, they’ve gone, like, decision made. Do we try (0:28:21) Al: Try it our best to make it work as well on the switch, or do we just… (0:28:24) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:28:24) Al: take all of the nonsense that we’re going to get for the next two and a half years, (0:28:28) Al: and then throw it all on the switch too, and hope that we gain back the positives for that. (0:28:35) Al: I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, right? That is a decent… That timeline works, (0:28:38) Kev: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. (0:28:43) Al: that’s more than two years. I could absolutely see that they hadn’t even considered this (0:28:45) Kev: Mm hmm. (0:28:48) Al: until the reception was so bad, and then they’ve gone, “You know what? We do need to deal with (0:28:52) Kev: Yeah, also (0:28:52) Al: this and they had a small team dealing (0:28:54) Al: with that for the last couple of years. (0:28:56) Kev: Sure, I’ll I’ll you know, I’ll say that they probably (0:29:02) Kev: Whenever they found out switch to upgrades we’re gonna have which I imagined was relatively early, you know, I (0:29:08) Kev: Imagine they were planning one for scarlet violent (0:29:10) Kev: I don’t see a version where they weren’t gonna do that (0:29:12) Kev: What I don’t think is I don’t think they were gonna put in the effort they did for this because that I think was reactionary (0:29:20) Kev: Because I think they wanted to (0:29:22) Kev: You know try to clean up their act if you know if it had come out (0:29:27) Kev: Not as good or you know if the original game might come out better (0:29:32) Kev: I don’t think it would have been this huge of a jump because they probably just (0:29:32) Al: Well, yeah, yeah. I mean, because it wouldn’t be better. I don’t know. Yeah. I do feel like (0:29:37) Kev: You know, then yeah. Well, yeah. Well, that’s true, but they wouldn’t put the effort, you know what I mean (0:29:43) Al: I do think a lot of this is like, we need to make sure people actually buy our next (0:29:47) Al: game. Let’s show them that we can actually make a good game or a smooth enough. Okay. (0:29:47) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:29:52) Kev: Yeah (0:29:53) Al: A well performing game. And, and I think that’s probably has done a lot to improve people’s (0:29:59) Kev: Yeah (0:30:00) Al: view on things, right? (0:30:02) Kev: Yeah (0:30:02) Al: People who were, you were probably worried about the next game, right? (0:30:05) Kev: Yeah, well hey, you know like I make all the jokes about you know, we could the you know, then Gen 10 could fail (0:30:12) Kev: or you know or whatever, you know, but (0:30:15) Kev: But maybe this is actually a sign that they’re actually trying to (0:30:19) Kev: They’re gonna try to double down or you know (0:30:23) Kev: put in the effort to make sure it really comes out. (0:30:25) Kev: Um yeah but okay good stuff that’s that’s really nice to know the power of the switch too. (0:30:33) Al: it’s good fun. All right, we have one piece of news I want to talk about before we just (0:30:40) Al: go through the wholesome direct stuff that we want to talk about. Snacko, Snacko decided (0:30:42) Kev: All right, what is it? (0:30:43) Kev: What is it? (0:30:46) Kev: That’s the cat game. (0:30:46) Al: that just after we released our last episode two weeks ago, they decided they were going (0:30:54) Al: going to release their 1.0, just shadow drop it. (0:30:56) Kev: That’s correct. That’s how this works in this gig, podcast world. Things happen as soon as (0:31:07) Kev: you take a break. That’s good. (0:31:08) Al: And I’m not even joking. This was a legitimate shadow drop. Like I saw the Steam news about (0:31:16) Al: Snacko 1.0 and I’m like, hold up, wait a minute. Did I miss something? And then I looked through (0:31:19) Kev: Tempting you. (0:31:21) Al: everything and nope, I did not miss anything. This was just surprise. Here you go. Here’s (0:31:27) Al: the new, here’s 1.0. So there we go. Snacko 1.0. It’s probably finally time for me to (0:31:35) Kev: Probably. I’m just looking at it, it looks nice. Yeah, that’s a, they’re little like pixely, (0:31:45) Kev: 2D, 3D thing, it looks nice, and the cat’s very cute. Yeah, good for you, Snaggo. You made it to (0:31:52) Kev: 1.0, like, that’s always a genuine cause for celebration, assuming it’s a real 1.0, (0:31:58) Kev: and not one of those 1.0s, yeah, it’s kind of 1.0, but not really, because we still have a whole (0:32:02) Kev: a whole bunch of other stuff that didn’t make it in yet. (0:32:04) Al: Yeah, I think they’ve got more updates coming, but it feels like it looks like it’s extra stuff. (0:32:09) Al: But having said that, I haven’t played through it, so I don’t know. (0:32:11) Kev: Yeah. (0:32:12) Kev: Sure, sure, yeah, yeah, I know. (0:32:14) Kev: But I’m just saying, we all know those games out there (0:32:17) Kev: that at 1.0 really should not have been at 1.0. (0:32:18) Al: Yep. Yep, yep, yep, yep, we do, we do. (0:32:23) Kev: But– but– yeah. (0:32:24) Al: It doesn’t feel, from what I know about the game and the developers, (0:32:28) Al: it doesn’t feel like something they would do. (0:32:30) Al: I don’t feel like they would just go, “Here we go.” (0:32:30) Kev: Yeah, from what– yeah, like, I also agree. (0:32:34) Kev: - Yeah, I agree. (0:32:35) Kev: Very cute game, always has been cute, still cute. (0:32:40) Kev: I might be interested in, oh, there’s a demo. (0:32:42) Kev: I might, I’ll download that demo at the very least. (0:32:44) Kev: Good for you, Snacko. (0:32:46) Al: All right, let’s talk about the Wholesome Direct then. (0:32:49) Kev: Okay, okay. (0:32:51) Kev: Before we get into, because obviously we got our list, (0:32:54) Kev: I want to comment on the presentation, (0:32:56) Kev: ‘cause man, an hour straight of wholesome and cozy, (0:33:03) Kev: Oh, it’s a little it’s. (0:33:05) Kev: A little much and you know, obviously that’s the nature of the beast, but you know, I’m just look, I don’t know how big wholesome games their operation is right and and and they’re they’re trying right like they highlight so many streamers or you know, content creators or whatever and oh good for you, you know, little spotlight on these guys, but you know, maybe, maybe just just put a little more into that, right? (0:33:06) Al: - Yeah. (0:33:32) Kev: Every, I can’t just, I’m not. (0:33:35) Kev: I’m not blaming any one streamer because they, but they all just happened to have the same, you know, just palette color palette swap backgrounds of a shelf with plushies and some plants. (0:33:46) Al: Yeah, yeah, I definitely found that as well. The other thing that I found was like everybody (0:33:50) Al: talks in this calm voice. Yeah, exactly. It’s like cosy games, right? First of all, it’s (0:33:54) Kev: - ASMR? (0:33:55) Kev: - Yup. (0:34:00) Al: not cosy games. It’s wholesome direct, right? The whole point was it’s like we want a place (0:34:03) Kev: - Yeah, huh? (0:34:05) Al: to show a bunch of games that are not just shooting zombies, right? And that is a totally (0:34:10) Kev: Yeah, yeah. (0:34:11) Al: fair thing and that’s why I like it and it doesn’t that doesn’t (0:34:14) Kev: Yeah. (0:34:16) Al: have to mean calm and quiet and trying to send you to sleep which is I definitely felt like it was I don’t know whether it’s always been like this and I’m just getting annoyed with it or whether it’s getting more like this but yeah I was absolutely the same every streamer was the exact same voice and background and I also think that there was a little bit weird and like having a different streamer to introduce every single game felt a bit weird (0:34:33) Kev: » Yeah. (0:34:46) Al: in the every time there was a streamer on they were like here’s my name here’s my channel here’s what I do and it was all the same as well it’s like oh we do everything cozy and you’re like oh my word like yes you are just the exact same as all the other ones we’ve just seen like I don’t it was yeah I agree I’m glad you felt the same because it was just too much for me (0:34:52) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. And again, and yeah, and again, I’m not blaming any individual (0:35:09) Kev: streamer because I’m sure they got their prompt and they do their thing and that’s why. But (0:35:13) Kev: when, you know, the wholesome gang people, when they were putting, cutting, pasting all (0:35:16) Kev: this together, somebody should have said, you know what, this might be a little much. (0:35:20) Al: You get, it’s the same, it’s the same with everything, right? Like it’s when, when you (0:35:23) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. (0:35:24) Al: watch a Nintendo direct and you have the two hosts who make the same terrible jokes after (0:35:30) Al: every single game, you get annoyed about that. And when you have the Xbox showcase and like (0:35:35) Al: half of them are shooting zombies in the face, it’s the same thing again. It’s just like, (0:35:38) Kev: - Mm-hmm. (0:35:39) Al: why are all these games the same? And, and why is the presentation so long? And so like, (0:35:46) Al: I think maybe we need to spread these things out a little bit more in the year, right? Like (0:35:51) Al: June, for releasing game information, do we really need to? (0:35:55) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:35:59) Kev: Yeah, I agree or or you know what I’m trying to look up a year (0:36:06) Al: It’s 2025. (0:36:08) Kev: Yeah, not our year I’m I’m trying to look to the the highest (0:36:13) Kev: The high bar of video game presentations at 2014. That’s what it was the Nintendo (0:36:20) Kev: 2014 e3 presentation. That’s the one where we had a (0:36:25) Kev: and Reggie fighting (0:36:27) Kev: With their DBZ fight with the amiibo humor that that one (0:36:27) Al: Mm hmm. Yeah. (0:36:32) Kev: Obviously not every company is gonna be able to produce goofy bits like that or whatever (0:36:36) Kev: But you know that the point is they tried right? They they put a little a little effort into the presentation (0:36:44) Kev: And so, you know, it’d be nice right? What’s crazy to me is some of these bits were like the streamers introducing game (0:36:49) Kev: Didn’t even mention the game (0:36:51) Kev: They just said he was a world premiere (0:36:52) Al: yeah yeah well there is that I i don’t know I also think like the live ones are really (0:36:55) Kev: But anyways, I digress (0:36:59) Al: annoying as well right did you watch the friday’s summer game fest it was just really it was really (0:37:01) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:37:03) Kev: No, I haven’t watched any other I’ve just seen the the bids oh (0:37:08) Al: awkward I didn’t like it and like there’s something about jeff keeley that like i’m not saying he (0:37:10) Kev: Yeah (0:37:14) Al: doesn’t like games i’m sure he does i’m sure he does like games but the way he presents himself (0:37:20) Al: is corporate students. (0:37:21) Kev: Uh-huh, yep, that’s correct. (0:37:22) Al: And I can’t take him seriously and it’s like when there was a point where he was like oh (0:37:29) Al: something some game was shown and he was like wow looks great and he moved on to the next thing (0:37:34) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s kind of underlying the point, right? You want to get somebody (0:37:35) Al: and I’m like you did not sound sincere there, what are you on about? (0:37:43) Kev: who’s sincere about the presentation or whatever is being presented, right? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. (0:37:46) Al: Which Reggie did well. That was his thing. Like, he was a corporate guy and we all knew that, (0:37:52) Al: and we all knew that he would probably sell us if he could. But you also got that he cared, (0:37:55) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. (0:37:58) Al: and I don’t know whether that was real or not, but you definitely believed that he cared. (0:38:04) Kev: I mean, I think he cared, but maybe that’s just part of the whole thing he did. I don’t (0:38:09) Kev: know, but he, like the important thing is he made us believe he cared, right? He could (0:38:13) Kev: talk about his games. Like it sounded like someone who played the game or knew of the (0:38:17) Kev: game to whatever degree. And yeah, you’re right. Like that’s what we need. We just need (0:38:23) Kev: people who know, who care, who are sincere. Like they’ll, even if it’s, you know, just (0:38:29) Kev: some of a blurb, you can feel that, right? So the point to one. (0:38:34) Kev: Well, long story short, wild. I forget what the new one is. Wildflowers people call me. (0:38:40) Kev: I’ll do the blurb for your next one. I’ll do it. All right. Let’s get into it. (0:38:42) Al: Alright, let’s talk about some games then. I don’t know if you’ve got anything else that (0:38:49) Al: you want to talk about other than the stuff that’s in this list, because I think, but (0:38:52) Kev: OK, there’s– here, let me see if I can find a– (0:38:53) Al: I think this is all the Cottagecore related stuff in my list. Let’s go, let’s go with (0:39:01) Kev: just go to– I’ll be looking up another list. (0:39:04) Al: it. So we started off with Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar. No new real information, but (0:39:10) Al: There was a new trailer with some. (0:39:12) Al: Uh, bits and pieces and, uh, I’m going to be honest. (0:39:15) Al: I’m really excited about this game. (0:39:16) Al: I think I’m, I’ve, I never played the original obviously. (0:39:19) Al: Um, and it does things a bit differently. (0:39:20) Kev: Yeah, it looks it looks good. I’ll say that. It looks like it has that, you know, Nintendo (0:39:21) Al: Um, so I’m excited to play it. (0:39:32) Kev: C.Lo quality story of seasons quality that they do. It looks good. I’ll say that. Yeah. (0:39:32) Al: Next one that I wanted to talk about was gourdlets together. So it’s a new gourdlets game. It’s (0:39:44) Al: a multiplayer gourdlets game. Which I feel like is a fun thing to add into a gourdlets (0:39:50) Al: game. I guess the question is, does this feel like it should have been a separate game or (0:39:55) Al: should it have been an update to gourdlets? I don’t know, but it is what it is. I guess (0:39:57) Kev: another mode. I don’t either. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s true. Well, I could have seen that even (0:40:02) Al: it’s cheap. It feels a bit selfish to ask for anything more. (0:40:16) Kev: more paid DLC by that point with the difference. But yeah, I guess so. I don’t know. It’s not (0:40:22) Kev: appealing to me, like, I don’t know, I’m just not feeling it, but it’s cool. (0:40:27) Kev: It’s cool to see them, you know, wanting to do this. (0:40:30) Al: Yeah, it also feels, I think it feels much, it looks like it’s much more character-based (0:40:36) Al: rather than obviously the girdlets was design-based, like management style, whereas this, I think, (0:40:43) Al: looks like you’re controlling a character because it’s the multiplayer aspect. So I’m (0:40:49) Al: thinking that might vibe with me more than the previous one. (0:40:52) Kev: Yeah. No, I can see that. That’s fair. (0:40:56) Al: we got something that you’ll be interested in, Luma Island, the (0:41:00) Kev: Well, you know what I do like pirates you’re right about that (0:41:06) Al: Well you played. Did you not play Luma Island? Am I misremembering? (0:41:06) Kev: It looks I didn’t play them island. No, that wasn’t me (0:41:10) Al: Oh, I know Johnny did, but I thought you had done as well. Oh well. (0:41:13) Kev: No, I don’t think no that was me but I do like pirates (0:41:15) Al: Well the Luma Island pirate update is coming out on the 20th of June. So we had, (0:41:19) Al: we already knew about the pirate update, but now we know that it’s coming out next week. (0:41:26) Kev: you go. It’s pretty looking, I guess. I like pirates, I don’t know. Okay, like, you know, (0:41:32) Al: We got a new trailer for tales of the shire as well. (0:41:38) Kev: in the past week, I actually watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And like, dang, man, (0:41:44) Kev: what a what a legacy you have to live up to. Okay, first off, did we have a date? Because (0:41:54) Kev: We finally got a date. (0:41:55) Al: We did. We did have a date when when they delayed it from March, they gave us a date of that point. So yeah, this is this is still what we were expecting. (0:41:56) Kev: I’m kidding. Okay. Okay. Well, that’s soon. It looks kind of like where it was at. I don’t (0:42:07) Kev: know what to say. I’m pretty sure the game is clear what it’s going to be. And as I watched (0:42:16) Kev: The Lord of the Rings and looking at this trailer, I’m thinking, “I don’t know if this (0:42:21) Kev: is the one for me. I’m not the one who wants to live in a hobbit. I want to hang out with (0:42:26) Kev: you.” That’s what I want to do in Middle Earth. (0:42:28) Al: Yeah. I’m a bit the same. I just, I don’t know what it is about this game that’s not (0:42:36) Al: grabbing me because A Lord of the Rings, Shire based culture game should be something that (0:42:42) Al: I would love, but I just, I don’t know. There’s just, it’s not grabbed me in anything other (0:42:48) Al: than the concept since it was announced. (0:42:48) Kev: yeah yeah that’s the hard part right is the concept gonna be better than the game maybe (0:42:57) Kev: uh that’s that’s you know that’s tough it like I said it’s when you put the lord of the rings (0:43:03) Kev: name on the box you have made things so much harder for yourself because that’s a lot of (0:43:08) Kev: expectations on now um but we’ll see maybe when it comes on it’s actually incredible I don’t know (0:43:16) Kev: Gandalf looked very kawaii, I’ll give him that. (0:43:18) Kev: They give us little ubu Gandalf. (0:43:21) Al: “I think it’s the character models that really confuse me. It’s not that I hate how they look, (0:43:27) Kev: Yeah, they do feel a little weird. (0:43:28) Al: I just… I don’t know. It’s so hard to explain.” (0:43:33) Kev: Yeah, no, I know exactly what you mean. (0:43:35) Kev: It’s something– it’s just a little je ne sais quoi. (0:43:40) Kev: I agree. (0:43:42) Al: Not normally used in a positive frame, not a negative frame, but fair enough. (0:43:42) Kev: But yeah. (0:43:49) Kev: But we’ll see. (0:43:50) Kev: It’s coming out soon. (0:43:51) Kev: And maybe it’ll surprise us still. (0:43:56) Al: Next, we had a new game, Linked Banner of the Spark. Build a bright new world alongside (0:44:01) Kev: oh my goodness this game (0:44:05) Al: a band of rescued robot buddies in this colourful action RPG, battle waves of enemies in solo (0:44:10) Al: or co-op, then return home and use your parts to craft a thriving town, assemble your crew, (0:44:15) Al: and grow stronger with each new adventure. I mean, this is basically like robot cult (0:44:19) Al: of the lamb, right? Go out and get stuff, and then save some creatures, and then come (0:44:24) Al: back and build a town. (0:44:27) Al: Kotlin did it really well, so if it implements it well, I think this could be really good. (0:44:32) Kev: It looks so good to me. (0:44:34) Kev: Like, oh man, ‘cause I’ve never called credit (0:44:40) Kev: within the trailer show. (0:44:41) Kev: There’s still like some gardening (0:44:42) Kev: or something like that, I think. (0:44:43) Al: There’s definitely farming, I’m seeing a farming plot. (0:44:43) Kev: But either, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:44:47) Al: It doesn’t look like it’s a big thing, it looks like it’s relatively small, but it is (0:44:53) Kev: But like, it does it great. (0:44:56) Kev: ‘Cause you have that and you have, you know, (0:44:57) Kev: you’re throwing robots in there. (0:44:58) Kev: Well, you know, that can be a different number of ways, (0:45:01) Kev: but the robot portion of it. (0:45:02) Kev: It looks sick, like you have a lot of knife hands like there’s some that look kind of threatening or genuinely actiony. (0:45:09) Kev: Um, there’s robot fish. That’s kind of fun. Um, I’m excited about this one. This one is high up on my list. It looks great. Um, the gameplay looks like what I want to the world’s colorful. I can’t wait. I’m so excited for this one. (0:45:26) Al: Yeah, I agree. Looks really fun. (0:45:28) Kev: All right, what’s next that’s not linked and thusly not as high on my list. (0:45:32) Kev: Oh well that blew up in my face because I forgot no this one is high up on my list too. (0:45:32) Al: Milano Milano’s odd collection or job collection. (0:45:43) Al: This one is, I think, PlayStation style is what they’re going. (0:45:48) Al: They’re calling it PlayStation one style. (0:45:48) Kev: Is (0:45:53) Al: It’s. (0:45:55) Kev: You okay, you g

For our 181st edition of the cast, in our “This our That” segment, we draw the category of Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit characters from the Middle Earth trilogies, with some of the great characters ranked against one another. We also discuss R-Truth, Billy Madison, The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2, Hershel Rhee, & SO MUCH MORE!

Reposted from The ‘Cast of the Rings, which you can find and subscribe to at: podcastica.com/podcast/the-cast-of-the-rings-a-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-podcast—Greetings, Hobbitses, Elveses, Riders of the Rohirrim and Middle Earth wanderers, welcome to our podcast.On this episode we catch up and reminisce on Penny's recent trip to visit Anwen in Middle Earth, share our thoughts on the War of the Rohirrim movie, and discuss some Rings of Power news!The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 is confirmed'Rings Of Power Adds Jamie Campbell Bower To Season 3 CastDave Dobbyn - Welcome Home (Official Music Video)For those wanting to explore further, you can find an encyclopedia of everything from Tolkien's works here: glyphweb.com. To explore the world of Middle Earth portrayed in the books and on screen, go to: lotr.fandom.com For even more Tolkien goodness, try this fan wiki Tolkien GatewayYou can find our contact info and all our other shows at: podcastica.com Join our community and support the Podcastica network at Podcastica. Fun, in-depth talk about great TV.Music: Now We Ride by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join The Man of the West as he continues his trip through Rohan on Middle-earth Map Monday in a visit to the caves of Helm's Deep: the Glittering Caves of Aglarond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AFOLs Welcome Podcast - Episode Details In this weeks episode West and Grinch dive deep into Middle Earth and discuss what we believe is one of if not the greatest Lego theme of all time. As always feel free to join in to the conversation in the comment section. Socials: Instagram: afols_welcome Episode Time Stamps: 0:00 - 5:24 Intro/What Are We Building 5:24 - 17:21 Exciting Lego News 17:21 - 1:27:30 Today's Topic 1:27:30 - 1:45:13 Brick Mail AFOLs Welcome is a weekly podcast where co-hosts Grinch and West have discussions about the brick-built world of Lego. Join us as we dive deep into hot topics, Lego themes, and more from the perspective of two adult fans of Lego. Contact Us: If you would like to reach out to the podcast and be featured in an episode, please email us at AFOLsWelcome@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram at AFOLs Welcome. Reviews and Feedback: Reviews and constructive, polite feedback are strongly encouraged. Please review, like, or subscribe wherever you find yourself listening to our show! As always, thank you for listening, and we'll catch you on the next one!

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 102 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the Head of Content for The Ringer and co-host of The Big Picture podcast Sean Fennessey to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, King Kong (2005). After making one of the most successful trilogies of all time, winning dozens of Oscars, making billions of dollars at the box office, and defying all odds due to the inadaptability of the source material, Peter Jackson was on top of the cinematic world. Following up The Lord of the Rings was going to be no small task, but the director had essentially created an opportunity that very few artists get to have in a career; he earned a blank check to make whatever he wanted. In doing this, he came back to a project he had been trying to make years before his work in Middle Earth; a remake of one of the most iconic films in the history of cinema, King Kong. In making a direct remake of the 1939 classic, Jackson was able to recreate and expand a film that changed his life when he first saw it as a child in a local theater with his mother. But in doing so, he made a heavily CGI'd spectacle filled with dinosaurs that bogs down the emotional, fantastical elements at the core of the original story, and an effort that showed the problematic signs of what happens when total creative control is handed to those that need a little bit of a guiding hand. Ryan, Jay, and Sean breakdown their thoughts on the film, the other versions of King Kong, the career of Naomi Watts, how Jack Black is still a giant movie star, Adrian Brody's Oscar speech, why no one can make a good dinosaur film outside the first Jurassic Park, why this movie didn't work, why Sean picked this film to come on and talk about, and how nice a guy David Cronenberg seems. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lovely Bones. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

What does a Shire full of hobbits in Middle-Earth, a county full of farmers in Kentucky, and a wardrobe full of a lion have in common? For Russell Moore and singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson, they were all a way to find home.    In this episode—recorded inside Peterson's book-lined Chapter House in Nashville, right down the road from Moore—the two talk about the authors who, by God's grace, helped hold their faith together when it could have come apart. From the wisdom of Wendell Berry to the imagination of C.S. Lewis to the honesty of Frederick Buechner, these authors gave a clarity that helped these two keep the faith.    This isn't just a literary conversation. It's about how God uses stories, sentences, and sometimes even sword-wielding mice to reach people in moments of doubt, disillusionment, or despair. Along the way, they talk about what it means to read widely, to hold onto wonder, and to be the kind of Christian who can still be surprised by joy.   They also somehow end up talking about Moby Dick, Dungeons & Dragons, and how ChatGPT was wrong and right about what books each of them would take to a desert island.    Books and authors mentioned in this episode include: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry A Room Called Remember and Telling Secrets by Frederick Buechner The Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Mere Christianity, and more by C.S. Lewis Godric by Frederick Buechner David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson Moby Dick by Herman Melville Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs And selections from Andrew's own works: Adorning the Dark, The God of the Garden, and The Wingfeather Saga Whether you're deep in faith, on the brink of losing it, or just looking for something beautiful to read, this conversation will remind you why the right book at the right moment can do more than explain—it can point to new life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's finally here! With the announcement of Armies of Middle-earth and the Matched Play Guide on the horizon, we break down the preview articles released this week.Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction01:41 Armies of Middle-earth & Matched Play Guide04:20 Prince Imrahil07:35 Khazad Guard11:23 Tom Bombadil & Goldberry13:24 Dragon19:03 Black Dragon WarriorOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music:Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: RedlineMusician: EnjoyMusicSite: https://enjoymusic.ai

Join The Man of the West as he begins Series 11 of Today's Tolkien Times with a return to Middle-earth Map Monday as our Rohan road trip stops at Súthburg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World leaders from Ukraine to Germany, the UK, France, and the U.S., are being caught with drugs of one sort or another. From cocaine to the recent report that Elon Musk, though he denies it, was nearly overdosing on ketamine, adderall, ecstasy and psychedelics during the campaign trail and after. The same has been reported of the WEF at Davos, people obsessed with magic mushrooms and hookers. Beyond the obvious motif of wealthy people splurging on carnal delights, there may be something darker at work, especially when considering that for years there has been speculation that the UN's own Meditation Room was actually a space for channeling sessions with spirits. The lore of Vril, dating to before WWII, involves a psychic energy used by an alien race - in occult lore the Vril were a society contacting aliens and spirits to obtain assistance in technological development. The term was originally coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1871 novel ‘The Coming Race'. The techno-term “algorithm,” based on Persian mathematics, is itself connected to the Demon Star ALGOL, also known as a Demon's Eye. This “eye” plays a significant role in both fiction and modern technology.  Since 2025 began we have seen the full scale implementation of STARGATE, a program to develop gene-altering cancer shots (preceding the HHS-NIH announcement of universal flu and covid shots), and now recent contracts signed by PALANTIR by the Trump administration to create an all-knowing database of information on more than just American citizens. Itself followed up by a $795-million contract between the DOD and Palantir. STARGATE involves, of peculiar interest, OpenAI (to open an eye), Oracle (a prophet who can see beyond time), and Nvidia (the evil eye). The first company is run by Sam Altman, whose name means in Hebrew “name of the old God,” and Samael (the Talmudic archangel of seduction, accusation, and destruction) ‘altering-man'; whose recent announcement involves a device called ORB that verifies humans via iris scans and then gives them a WORLD ID / DIGITAL PASSPORT, WORLDCOIN GLOBAL CURRENCY, and UBI or Universal Basic Income; the scan verifies human-carbon, i.e., 666.  The second company is run by Larry Ellison, whose name means in Hebrew “light of my God Yahweh,” or “victory of the son of Elohim.” The third company is named after the seven deadly sins and the poison of the evil eye. PALANTIR was officially established by a guy “obsessed with warding of death... with a young person's blood,” Peter Thiel, whose name means “stone of the valley/below/abyss.” Alongside these technocrats are Yuval Harari, whose name means in Hebrew “streaming from the mountain,” and Elon Musk, whose X-AI, GROK, is named after a fictional martian language that means to “understand deeply,” from Robert Heinlein's ‘Stranger in a Strange Land'; its logo is the planet Saturn, god of time. Elon is also the name of a technologically advanced alien leader on the martian planet in the book ‘Mars: A Technical Tale', written by NASA father Wernher Von Braun. PALANTIR itself is named after palantír from Lord of the Rings (Saturn), a seeing-stone-crystal sphere used for communication and intelligence gathering. It is also where the Eye of Sauron was able to keep his eye on Middle Earth. Thiel is also co-founder of Rivendell 7 and Mithril Capital, both named after LOTR, the latter of which is a mythical elvish city. This is the same Thiel who fueled the rise of JD Vance into the White House, the now VP to POTUS Trump who just signed a deal with PALANTIR and who is assisting in pushing Musk's electric cars. Altman, Ellison, Harari, even Elon Musk “aspirationally,” are Jewish, with questions about Thiel's actual background speculated upon. The same is true for Larry Fink of BLACKROCK, Stephen Schwarzman of BLACKSTONE, Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus of BLACK CUBE, and even the general BLACKBOX AI that nobody seems able to comprehend even if they helped build it - Ellison says it is mostly coming from Israel and Tel Aviv. This is the same black cube that Jews wear and Muslims walk around, with black stone, in their holy city. PALANTIR'S history is peculiar too, not just its name. Peter Thiel started the company officially soon after 911 by using PayPal security algorithms. It was founded in May 2003, the same month and year that the US Information Awareness Office and DARPA renamed their Total Information Awareness program to Terrorism Information Awareness, and a few months before in September Congress pulled funding. The blueprint for this post-911 world, PNAC, was written by William Kristol and Robert Kagan, and the Patriot Act was co-authored by Michael Chertoff, former homeland security head, who helped sell body scanners to airports. All three of these men are jewish. As for PALANTIR, besides Thiel, Alex Karp and Stephen Cohen are major jewish founders alongside Joe Lonsdale and Nathan Gettings, the former of which had one of the least official roles. According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center writing about TIA: “Congress eliminated funding for the controversial project and closed the Pentagon's Information Awareness Office, which had developed TIA. This does not, however, necessarily signal the end of other government data-mining initiatives that are similar to TIA.”What was a DARPA-CIA-NSA-USIAO plan to “track individuals through collecting as much information about them as possible and using computer algorithms and human analysis to detect potential activity,” suddenly became PALANTIR unofficially, even though both the NSA and PALANTIR both ran a PRISM program - a program we learned about from Edward Snowden in June 2013, just 3 months before Katy Perry released her first “dark” album called PRISM. The goal of PRISM was to retrieve data directly from Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple. And what is a prism but a three-dimensional solid shape; a polyhedron like a cube; a glass device that breaks down white light.Beyond data acquisition, the goal was techno-super-natural: “understand and even preempt' future action,” wrote the New York Times. The NYT reported that conveniently PALANTIR “secured an estimated $2 million from In-Q-Tel, a venture-capital firm that finances the development of technologies that can help the C.I.A.” That's the same In-Q-Tel where, at one of their conferences, David Petraeus, former CIA director, said that the Internet of PCs and Things “are learning to perceive - to actually sense and respond.” Soon after we saw the emergence of Q-Anon, a Self Organizing Collective Intelligence, which today with AI-models trained on human data, are convincing people they are unlocking the secrets and conspiracies of the universe and becoming prophets. As per a recent Rolling Stone article, “Self-styled prophets are claiming they have 'awakened' chatbots and accessed the secrets of the universe through ChatGPT.”FREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVEX / TWITTER FACEBOOKYOUTUBEMAIN WEBSITECashApp: $rdgable Paypal email rdgable1991@gmail.comEMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 101 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). One final time, in the winter of 2003, the world ran to the theaters to see the final chapter in what was the greatest, most important cinematic trilogy with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. In the climatic ending of Peter Jackson's masterpiece, we find the war for Middle Earth taking full effect as Frodo and Sam get closer and closer to destroying the ring of power once and for all. With many memorable moments (and a few too many endings?), Jackson was able to stick the landing, resulting the movie event of the 21st century, the highest grossing film of 2003, and performing a clean sweep as Return of the King went on to win eleven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. Ryan, Jay, and Griffin break down their thoughts on the third film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, if the extended cut of the film adds anything but runtime to the final film, the ending controversy, every character's arc and how they are wrapped up, how emotional the film is, if this is the most important, best blockbuster of the 21st century, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h25m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, King Kong. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Fr. Anthony talks with returning guest co-host Richard Barrett about Chapter 5 of the Fellowship of the Ring: A Conspiracy Unmasked, and they dig deeply into an entirely different sort of music in Middle Earth than Richard and Fr. Andrew discussed five years ago.

Episode 580: Meeple Nation May 2025 News - New Games, Announcements, & Crowdfunding! Release Date: May 28, 2025 Welcome to Episode 580 of Meeple Nation, The World's Okayest Podcast! This week, Nathan, Douglas, and Dave pull up a chair to the game table to dive into all the exciting news from the board gaming world for May 2025. We're covering a ton of ground, including: New Game Releases: Discover what's just hit the shelves and is ready for your game night! New Game Announcements: Get the scoop on upcoming titles that have the community buzzing. Crowdfunding Games: We'll highlight some intriguing projects currently seeking support on Kickstarter and Gamefound. In this episode, we chat about: Our Gaming Highlights: Nathan: Twilight Inscription Flip 7 Hadrian's Wall Douglas: Arkham Horror Dave: Dominion Hot New Releases: Marvel Champions: Silk Hero Pack Marvel Champions: Black Panther Hero Pack (Suri) Cyclades: Legendary Edition Parks Second Edition Knitting Circle Zombicide 2nd Ed: PariZ Marvel Zombies Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance Santorini: Pantheon Edition Toy Battle Tiny Turbo Cars Dragon Eclipse Pokemon Critter Kitchen Emerald Skull Exciting Announcements: Battle for Hoth (Command and Colors) Risk GI Joe: Special Missions Risk Legacy 7 Wonders Dice Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth 7 Wonders Architects Slam Throne Pogs Sea Salt & Paper: Extra Pepper Lorcana: Reign of Jafar Grand Central Skyport Skyrise Cloud City The Anarchy Hadrian's Wall Dry Erase Board SETI: Space Agencies Mystery of the Abbey In the Footsteps of Darwin: Correspondence 7 Empires Crowdfunding Spotlight: Kickstarter: Flamecraft Duels Gamefound: Aeon's End: Beyond the Breach A huge shout-out to our amazing sponsors, Game Toppers and SaltCON! Whether you're a veteran gamer or just getting into the hobby, there's something for everyone in this action-packed episode. Join us for your essential dose of board game news and discussion! Connect with Meeple Nation: Website: Meeplenation.com SaltPOD: A SaltCON Podcast: SaltPOD Email: MeepleNation@gmail.com Patreon: Meeple Nation Instagram: @meeplenation Facebook Page: Meeple Nation Facebook Group (Meeple Nation Off Air): Meeple Nation Off Air X (Twitter): @MeepleNation Discord: Meeple Nation YouTube: Meeple Nation Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform!

We invite Jake onto the show to talk about his recent travels in Europe, and his experience and success in the MESBG tournaments abroad.Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Intro00:59 NA vs Europe12:12 City of Kings: Terrain20:19 City of Kings: Custom Scenarios21:49 Level of Play33:30 Final ThoughtsOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Darshan H. Brahmbhatt, Podcast Editor of JACC: Advances, discusses a recently published original research paper on Genotype-Negative Patients With Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Traveling to the “Middle Earth”.

In Episode 250 we discuss the top 5 board game publishers that are represented on our game shelves.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:52 Top 5 Publishers On Our Game Shelves06:44 Dire Wolf (Clank! Legacy, Clank! In Space, Dune: Imperium - Uprising)08:54 Wehrlegig Games (Pax Pamir 2nd Edition, John Company 2nd Edition)10:47 CMON Games (Blood Rage, Cthulhu: Death May Die, Rising Sun)12:57 AEG (Cascadia, Calico, Let's Go To Japan)17:17 Eagle-Gryphon Games and (Baseball Highlight 2045, Xenon Profiteer, On Mars, Clockwork Wars) - Buffalo Games (Planted, Oh No! Volcano)18:51 Garphill Games (Architects of the West Kingdom, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Legacy of Yu)22:30 Wise Wizards Games (Star Realms, Star Realm: Rise of Empire, Hero Realms, Robot Quest Arena)25:13 Cosmodrome Games (Smartphone, Inc., Frozen Frontier, Aquatica)25:52 GMT Games (Dominant Species, SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD, A Gest of Robin Hood) 30:35 REPOS Production (7 Wonders, 7 Wonders Duel, Just One, Fun Facts, Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth)32:07 Awaken Realms (Nemesis, This War of Mine, Lords of Ragnarok, Tainted Grail, Great Wall, Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition)37:04 Roxley Games (Brass: Birmingham, Radlands, Dice Throne, Skyrise)38:51 Stonemaier Games (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, Scythe, Viticulture, Tapestry, Apiary, Red Rising, Wingspan, My Little Scythe, Pendulum, Expeditions)44:12 Fantasy Flight Games (Battle for Rokugan, Star Wars Rebellion, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, Android Netrunner, Arkham Horror: CCG)48:26 CGE (T'zolkin: The Mayan Calendar, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Codenames, Pulsar 2849, Under Falling Skies)50:28 Final ThoughtsIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

My wife got me a book about Tolkien I didn't know existed forChristmas (yay!). Unfortunately it's not really worth the read(boo!).Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon):https://playeur.com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:fTwitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlorePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tolkiengeekXero Shoes (affiliate link): https://xeroshoes.com/go/TolkienGeekDiscord server invite link: https://discord.gg/EVKynAj2m9 (Iflink is expired contact me at tolkienloremaster@gmail.comand I'll send a fresh invite link).

Get BTMC: PROTAGONIST EDITION: ⁠⁠https://becomingmain.supercast.com/⁠⁠We're in the thick of it now. The Fellowship has dissolved, Gandalf is gone, and the shadow of Mordor grows slowly over Middle Earth...What will the heroes do? And more importantly, what choices of theirs can we analyze? Hop in, we're going for the next chapter of the Lord of the Rings.In this episode: learn how Saruman uses manipulation tactics in his speech, why Faramir got done the most dirty by the Peter Jackson films, and how even a humble gardener like Samwise can become the most heroic figure, and more!BTMC: Protagonist Edition, where you can get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to take you even deeper into the story with more scenes, more lessons, and more of everything that makes the show what it is, as well as access to all of the Character Analysis episodes. Sign up link below: Get BTMC: PROTAGONIST EDITION: ⁠https://becomingmain.supercast.com/⁠FOLLOW BTMC FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠⁠

In today's episode, Liam & Ben must work out which members of The Fellowship of The Ring would shop at which UK supermarkets.That's it, that's the whole episode. You'll love it.============================This show will always be free, but super fans are encouraged to support The Conversation Hat via Patreon. You'll be able to access a special, patron-only mini-episode every month and a members-only Discord channel:www.patreon.com/conversationhatGet your very own Conversation Hat tees, mugs and more from TeePublic. You can also get loads of cool, nerdy and funny designs on TeePublic and, if you use our link, we get some affiliate income too. Which is neat:www.teepublic.com/stores/conversation-hatOther ways to support without giving us money: - Tell a friend about the show! - Find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook then like, follow, share and all of that good stuff! - Find the podcast on YouTube and watch all our videos: https://www.youtube.com/@convohatpodcast ============================The Conversation Hat is hosted by Ben Pierson and Liam TaylorEdited by Liam TaylorMusic by Liam TaylorLogo by Cheyenne Valentine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textAs the Cannes festival ends, we interviewed some key player regarding how the biggest film festival in the world impacts Chinese cinema.Featuring- Cao Liuying  : Parallax Films - Sales Agent- Clément Magar : Fortissimo Films - General Manager- Qu Zhizheng : Director & CinematographerTo go further- Middle Earth episode #44 Does China still make indie films?Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

This week, Mike Yardley opened up about Glenorchy's brand of eco-concious tourism, and revealed why it's a must-visit for fans of jet-boating, nature and Middle Earth. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JT's Mix Tape Episode 30 w/ Ricardo  @Contendforthefaith1 Please support our sponsor Modern Roots Life: https://modernrootslife.com/?bg_ref=rVWsBoOfcFIsrael & Petra Trip with @stargate_voyager Use Stargate2 if you sign up! https://www.lipkintours.com/index.php?dir=site&page=catalog&op=item&cs=3550 JESUS SAIDTHERE WOULD BE HATERS Shirts: https://jtfollowsjc.com/product-category/mens-shirts/ WOMEN'S SHIRTS: https://jtfollowsjc.com/product-category/womens-shirts/In this episode, JT,  @demonerasers  and Ricardo delve into a variety of topics ranging from the collaboration on upcoming projects to the exploration of historical maps and their implications. They discuss the rich mythos of Tolkien's works, the deceptive nature of characters like Sauron, and the influence of media on perceptions of fear and reality. The conversation also touches on the nature of sin, the manifestations of evil, and the legacy of mythology in modern storytelling. Throughout the discussion, they draw connections between ancient narratives and contemporary issues, emphasizing the importance of understanding these themes in today's world. In this conversation, Ricardo and JT delve into various themes surrounding mythology, biblical prophecy, and the nature of faith. They explore the connections between Tolkien's Middle Earth and biblical narratives, discussing the significance of figures like Melchizedek and the concept of divine cities. The discussion also touches on the themes of judgment, the cyclical nature of history, and the importance of faith in navigating spiritual challenges. They emphasize the need for critical thinking in understanding history and prophecy, ultimately highlighting the enduring truth of God's promises.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jt-s-mix-tape--6579902/support.

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 100 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). Once The Fellowship of the Ring released into theaters, and became the biggest film of the year, audiences didn't have to wait too long to go back and continue the journey in Middle Earth as the winter of 2002 brought the second chapter of The Lord of the Rings to the big screen. Continuing the events of the saga just after the separation of the fellowship, our heroes venture off into three separate but vital storylines for the ultimate destination of destroying the ring of power and saving Middle Earth from a dark war. Though the middle chapter, many, including Ryan, hold The Two Towers as their favorite entry into the trilogy, one with heart, action, and a new, game changing character in Gollum that makes for one of the most important villains in modern film. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the film, the revolutionary work on Gollum, casting what ifs, the introduction to the Kingdom of Rohan and its incredible characters, why Jay doesn't think Legolas isn't that cool, what the gang was like in high school, space missions, favorite type of potato, and so many more thing about and not about the film. It's the 100th episode and it's a damn good one. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

This week, we give up the promise of immortality as we reach the end of Chapter XIX and begin Chapter XX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why does the Lay of Leithian end where it does? Why are the sons of Fëanor so unkillable? Have we finally solved the mystery of the deadly hallowing?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of the battle of Unnumbered Tears and continue to the story of Turin in Chapters XX and XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 22nd at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgPopulations of Middle Earth in the First Age - Part 1: The Elves ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In the third of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, this episode is the second middle chapter, with no beginning and no end, just like The Two Towers.The Two Towers ups the ante from The Fellowship of the Ring, balancing intense action with rich storytelling. This episode focuses on the pivotal Battle of Helm's Deep and the groundbreaking introduction of Gollum, a character that redefined motion capture in film. Gollum's evolution from CGI concept to a fully realized character, is thanks to Andy Serkis' groundbreaking performance. The filming for The Two Towers included gruelling night shoots, and the sheer scale of the battle scenes meant that the crew ended up with "I survived Helm's Deep" t-shirts. It was a monumental filmmaking achievement, taking months to shoot under challenging conditions. The Lord of the Rings wouldn't be The Lord of the Rings, if it didn't feel like The Lord of the Rings, and esteemed Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe were brought on as conceptual designers, ensuring visual continuity with the imagery many readers associated with the books. The artistry behind the sets and props in the series reflects a rich history, with every detail crafted to enhance the authenticity of Middle Earth. We wants it, we needs it.This episode is Part 2 of a three-part story, as well as Part 3 of a five-part group of episodes. You probably should take a listen to the previous episode, if you haven't!I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Part 3 of 5] !Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and is also now nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMAVerbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioPatrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete,...

Discover five essential books that reshaped how I see J.R.R. Tolkien, his stories, and the world of Middle-earth. From rare insights into Tolkien's imagination to indispensable resources like The Atlas of Middle-earth and the newly expanded Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, these titles reveal hidden depths of the legendarium. Whether you're a first-time reader of The Lord of the Rings or a longtime fan seeking to expand your Tolkien bookshelf, these books offer fresh perspectives, fascinating backstories, and little-known mysteries of Middle-earth. Includes reflections on Tolkien's medievalist influences, Carl Jung connections, unpublished manuscripts, and the guiding light behind this podcast.Share this episode using this link:ringspodcast.com/213Who are you?Please tell me a little about you: ringspodcast.com/surveyWander Farther: A Free Reading GuideDownload my FREE guide for reading Tolkien's Silmarillion: https://ringspodcast.kit.com/a982347493Deals for you, my fellow wandererExclusive discount for Lore of the Rings Listeners: 25% off your entire order at Manly Bands. Details at https://www.ringspodcast.com/p/rings/Want to sponsor the Lore of the Rings?Sponsor rates, details, and inquires hereSupport Lore of the Rings with a donationAbout the Lore of the Rings PodcastContact the show, donate, and find past episodes: ringspodcast.comEmbark on an immersive journey through the captivating realms of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, where the epic sagas of the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, and more come to life. Join us as we delve into the rich tapestry of Tolkien's masterful storytelling, drawing intriguing comparisons between his literary works and the cinematic adaptations crafted by Peter Jackson. Be at the forefront of the latest developments as we explore the highly anticipated Rings of Power series from Amazon. Prepare to be enthralled as we uncover hidden connections, untold tales, and delve into the depths of Middle-earth lore. Tune in now and become part of our fellowship on this extraordinary journey!This podcast is not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ringspodcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A lot of big news out of the Studio Upfronts, the biggest being the return of HBO Max! Also we need to talk about the things Nintendo is doing, because i gotta say, NitenDONT! Plus Waffle House in Tekken is still not any closer, and we got to see our first look at Spider-Noir. Plus I break down my day at Universal Studios Hollywood!

Discover five essential books that reshaped how I see J.R.R. Tolkien, his stories, and the world of Middle-earth. From rare insights into Tolkien's imagination to indispensable resources like The Atlas of Middle-earth and the newly expanded Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, these titles reveal hidden depths of the legendarium. Whether you're a first-time reader of The Lord of the Rings or a longtime fan seeking to expand your Tolkien bookshelf, these books offer fresh perspectives, fascinating backstories, and little-known mysteries of Middle-earth. Includes reflections on Tolkien's medievalist influences, Carl Jung connections, unpublished manuscripts, and the guiding light behind this podcast.Share this episode using this link:ringspodcast.com/213Who are you?Please tell me a little about you: ringspodcast.com/surveyWander Farther: A Free Reading GuideDownload my FREE guide for reading Tolkien's Silmarillion: https://ringspodcast.kit.com/a982347493Deals for you, my fellow wandererExclusive discount for Lore of the Rings Listeners: 25% off your entire order at Manly Bands. Details at https://www.ringspodcast.com/p/rings/Want to sponsor the Lore of the Rings?Sponsor rates, details, and inquires hereSupport Lore of the Rings with a donationAbout the Lore of the Rings PodcastContact the show, donate, and find past episodes: ringspodcast.comEmbark on an immersive journey through the captivating realms of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, where the epic sagas of the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, and more come to life. Join us as we delve into the rich tapestry of Tolkien's masterful storytelling, drawing intriguing comparisons between his literary works and the cinematic adaptations crafted by Peter Jackson. Be at the forefront of the latest developments as we explore the highly anticipated Rings of Power series from Amazon. Prepare to be enthralled as we uncover hidden connections, untold tales, and delve into the depths of Middle-earth lore. Tune in now and become part of our fellowship on this extraordinary journey!This podcast is not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ringspodcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 94: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Our long journey through Middle-earth reaches its end as the gang takes on the towering finale of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Return of the King. Craig lights the beacons with Producer's Notes (8:03), rallying the realm for the final leg of our quest. Alain draws his sword for the Beauclair Synopsis (20:22), charting the last stand against darkness with Aragorn's path to the throne and Frodo's climb toward Mount Doom. Chris raises the light of Eärendil in Philosopher's Corner (47:28), exploring the steadfast, selfless resolve of Aragorn, whose enduring hope inspires unity and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. The Black Gate then opens for a hearty discussion at The Round Table (1:00:16), before Reviews (1:54:04) and Mailbag (2:05:41) make the final climb in this epic and enduring saga. As always, we reflect on the philosophical and non-philosophical burdens carried along the film's long road—because even at the end of all things, there's still light to be found.

Chapter 4 - TreebeardQ1 - Do you think the God of Middle Earth is causing all these things to happen?‘Hm, but you are hasty folk, I see,' said Treebeard. ‘I am honoured by your confidence; but you should not be too free all at once. There are Ents and Ents, you know; or there are Ents and things that look like Ents but ain't, as you might say. I'll call you Merry and Pippin, if you please – nice names. For I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate.' A queer half-knowing, half-humorous look came with a green flicker into his eyes. ‘For one thing it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I've lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.Q2 - What do you think of Treebeard and Ents?Q3 - Where are the Entwives?There is naught that an old Ent can do to hold back that storm: he must weather it or crack.‘I think that I now understand what he is up to. He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment. And now it is clear that he is a black traitor. He has taken up with foul folk, with the Orcs. Brm, hoom! Worse than that: he has been doing something to them; something dangerous. For these Isengarders are more like wicked Men. It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman's Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it. I wonder what he has done? Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!'Q4 - How did Saruman fall, and what do you think is the Great Darkness?Q5 - What do you think of the Entmoot and the march on Isenguard?Chapter 5 - The White Rider‘We have journeyed a long way round,' said Legolas. ‘We could have all come here safe together, if we had left the Great River on the second or third day and struck west. Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end.'Q1 - What did you think about the Gandalf reveal?‘What then shall I say?' said Gandalf, and paused for a while in thought. ‘This in brief is how I see things at the moment, if you wish to have a piece of my mind as plain as possible. The Enemy, of course, has long known that the Ring is abroad, and that it is borne by a hobbit. He knows now the number of our Company that set out from Rivendell, and the kind of each of us. But he does not yet perceive our purpose clearly. He supposes that we were all going to Minas Tirith; for that is what he would himself have done in our place. And according to his wisdom it would have been a heavy stroke against his power. Indeed he is in great fear, not knowing what mighty one may suddenly appear, wielding the Ring, and assailing him with war, seeking to cast him down and take his place. That we should wish to cast him down and have no one in his place is not a thought that occurs to his mind. That we should try to destroy the Ring itself has not yet entered into his darkest dream. In which no doubt you will see our good fortune and our hope. For imagining war he has let loose war, believing that he has no time to waste; for he that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough, may need to strike no more. So the forces that he has long been preparing he is now setting in motion, sooner than he intended. Wise fool. For if he had used all his power to guard Mordor, so that none could enter, and bent all his guile to the hunting of the Ring, then indeed hope would have faded: neither Ring nor bearer could long have eluded him. But now his eye gazes abroad rather than near at home; and mostly he looks towards Minas Tirith. Very soon now his strength will fall upon it like a storm.Q2 - Does Sauron really not think they are trying to destroy the ring??‘Wait a minute!' cried Gimli. ‘There is another thing that I should like to know first. Was it you, Gandalf, or Saruman that we saw last night?' ‘You certainly did not see me,' answered Gandalf, ‘therefore I must guess that you saw Saruman. Evidently we look so much alike that your desire to make an incurable dent in my hat must be excused.'Q3 - Did they really see Saruman?Q4 - What do you think of this Saruman plan?We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels. They were not made by Durin's folk, Gimli son of Glo´in. Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. Q5 - Thoughts on Gandalf's fight with the Balrog?Q6 - What do you think Galadriel's message meant to the trio?Where now are the Du´nedain, Elessar, Elessar? Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth, And the Grey Company ride from the North. But dark is the path appointed for thee: The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea. To Legolas she sent this word: Legolas Greenleaf long under tree In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea! If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore, Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.' Gandalf fell silent and shut his eyes. ‘Then she sent me no message?' said Gimli and bent his head. ‘Dark are her words,' said Legolas, ‘and little do they mean to those that receive them.' ‘That is no comfort,' said Gimli. ‘What then?' said Legolas. ‘Would you have her speak openly to you of your death?' ‘Yes, if she had naught else to say.' ‘What is that?' said Gandalf, opening his eyes. ‘Yes, I think I can guess what her words may mean. Your pardon, Gimli! I was pondering the messages once again. But indeed she sent words to you, and neither dark nor sad. ‘ ‘‘To Gimli son of Glo´in,'' she said, ‘‘give his Lady's greeting. Lockbearer, wherever thou goest my thought goes with thee. But have a care to lay thine axe to the right tree!'' ' ‘In happy hour you have returned to us, Gandalf,' cried the Dwarf, capering as he sang loudly in the strange dwarf-tongue. ‘Come, come!' he shouted, swinging his axe. ‘Since Gandalf's head is now sacred, let us find one that it is right to cleave!'Chapter 6 - The King of the Golden HallQ1 - What are your thoughts on Erodas?Q2 - What are your thoughts on Wormtongue?Q3 - Was there spellwork over Theoden?

Part 2 with Julian: The Inner Sauron – Power, Possession, and the Psyche In this episode, Julian and I dive deep into The Lord of the Rings through the lens of psychology, mythology, and IFS (Internal Family Systems). We explore the dark allure of Sauron—not just as a villain seeking domination through the One Ring, but as a metaphor for the exiled forces within us all. Julian draws powerful parallels between Sauron and the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli, both powerful spirits who reside in higher realms yet influence human behavior in devastating ways. We reflect on how these archetypes show up in our inner worlds—manipulating, isolating, and consuming us when left unseen. What if Sauron is an inner part we exile, giving it more power? And what if the One Ring acts like an unattached burden—seductive, cursed, and waiting to latch on to vulnerable parts of our psyche? We ask the big question: how do we care for our inner Sauron, and what choices emerge when we do? You can learn more about Julian's work at https://www.psychedelic-integration.net

For en fredag, og for en drømmeheis! Skuespiller Nikoline Bangen drømmer seg nemlig ned til New Zealand, der hun står i heisen til WETA WORKSHOP på vei opp for å teste kostymer for den kliss nye Middle Earth-produksjonen hun har fått hovedrollen i.Og hvem møter hun der? En hel gjeng med fantastiske spillkarakterer som hun både dater og graver i forhistorien til! God helg! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 98 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Brian Tallerico, Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Frighteners (1996). The critical success of Heavenly Creatures proved to put Jackson on the map, with Hollywood calling for him to start making bigger pictures. In writing a treatment in 1992 for an idea that would become The Frighteners, Oscar winning director Robert Zemeckis viewed their idea as a chance to be a spin off to the television series Tales from the Crypt, centering on a small town private eye who can see and speak to the dead. In working with Jackson and Fran Walsh, Zemeckis liked the idea of the young director making the film, and thus became the last film he would make before the biggest project of his life. But is it good, is it successful, or is it a forgotten relic that doesn't make sense within Jackson's filmography. Ryan, Jay, and Brian debate where The Frighteners lands, the importance of Weta Digital, the career of Michael J. Fox, Jackson getting the movie filmed in New Zealand even though it takes place in America, and preview the start of the boys' journey to Middle Earth over the next couple of weeks. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h21m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On this "What's Your Favorite Fandom?" episode of Fan Effect, Chris Graham of "Games & Things" returns to talk all things Tolkien. While J.R.R. Tolkien's works "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" always seemed to be a part of Producer KellieAnn's life (even her childhood dog was named after a character), Chris's introduction was more meandering yet meaningful. Together, they discuss the history, impact, and various versions of the beloved fantasy world of Tolkien, as well as how to enter the expansive fandom.  With a world-building so vast, Chris has some recommended sources to explore all things Tolkien: the fan-created wiki the Tolkien Gateway, the 12-part book series History of Middle-Earth, "Tree and Leaf" which is Tolkien's more philosophical writing, "J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography" by Humphrey Carpenter, Deseret News' article talking to The Rings of Power' showrunner, and of course The Tolkien Professor, Dr. Corey Olsen. (Oh, and we can't forget to include KellieAnn's favorite Lembas Bread recipe to share with her fellow food-loving hobbits.) The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories, surpassing nerdy, with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics.  Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen.  Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow. Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier entertainment destination. 

Codey and Kevin talk through all the recent news. Also bugs again. Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:17: What Have We Been Up To 00:19:17: I Know What You Released Last Month 00:26:44: Upcoming Game Releases 00:30:40: Game Updates 00:40:52: New Games 00:51:08: Other News 01:12:01: Outro Links Harvest Moon Double Pack for Switch Release Date Cattle Country Release Date To Pixelia Release Hello Kitty Island Adventure “Friends, Furniture, and Frozen Peaks” Update Hello Kitty Island Adventure Month of Meh Farlands “0.5” Update Sunseed Island Starsand Island Mudborne Soundtrack Tales of the Shire Store Wholesome Direct ConcernedApe Interview New Lego Animal Crossing Sets Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Kev: Hello farmers and welcome to another (0:00:33) Kev: Contractually obligated episode of the harvest season that’s not true at all. There’s no contracts whatsoever (0:00:36) Codey: Not true. (0:00:40) Kev: By no one, have you ever seen Paul board and the mall cop movie? (0:00:45) Codey: Uh, for not for a hot minute. (0:00:49) Kev: Well, I’m just reminded like he he there’s this plaque (0:00:53) Kev: You know mall security whatever and he just made it himself for himself and that’s all that I’m thinking (0:00:57) Codey: Okay. (0:01:00) Kev: Contract I drafted for myself. Oh (0:01:03) Kev: Anyways, hello. My name is Kevin (0:01:05) Codey: And I am Cody. (0:01:07) Kev: And we are here today to talk about cottagecore games per the first section for the party of the first part. Oh, yeah (0:01:12) Codey: A-wooo! (0:01:15) Codey: Ow-ow-ow! (0:01:17) Kev: You go (0:01:19) Kev: I don’t know Rick flair, but I feel like I should try to mimic kids. I might be mimicking these woo already (0:01:25) Kev: I don’t know, but I just know he does the woo (0:01:28) Codey: No, I, I do not, I do not wrestle. (0:01:28) Kev: You don’t talk about wrestler guy (0:01:30) Kev: He does booze (0:01:32) Kev: Yeah, there’s a wrestler. He’s kind of an older guy. I think he’s actually like running WWE now, but anyways (0:01:38) Codey: That’s a choice. (0:01:39) Kev: Hello everyone (0:01:42) Kev: It is (0:01:44) Kev: Okay today, it’s all it’s just another news episode (0:01:48) Kev: Life is chaotic. Cody actually managed to get on thankfully after actually surviving the wilderness for this past weekend (0:01:52) Codey: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. I will. We’ll talk we’ll talk about that. I can. Yeah. So it’s big, big old news episodes. We got lots of stuff to talk about. We this is the first of this month. So this will be our I know what you released last month. Boo. Episode as well. But what we have been up to. So this farmers has been a (0:01:57) Kev: but it (0:01:58) Kev: Hey, Oleg. (0:02:00) Kev: Well, do you want do you want to open because obviously okay. All right, let’s just let’s get into it (0:02:16) Kev: Yeah. (0:02:22) Codey: wild ride. So this last week, on Tuesday, I was working at the (0:02:28) Codey: Wildlife Center, it was going great, no issues. And we we (0:02:32) Codey: heard that there was going to be this huge storm coming through. (0:02:35) Codey: And that there’s probably going to be a lot of animals like (0:02:38) Codey: thrown out of trees. And so we were probably going to get a lot (0:02:41) Codey: of animals from people. And just kind of be ready for that. And (0:02:45) Codey: we were like, Okay, and then, like seven o’clock, power goes (0:02:52) Codey: on. And I had gone outside at one point, because we knew this (0:02:55) Codey: storm was happening. But we the our wildlife center is in the (0:02:57) Codey: basement of the owner’s house. Answer. p.m. p.m. crucial (0:02:58) Kev: Okay, wait question you say it’s 7 o’clock a.m. Or p.m.. Okay. All right. This is all right (0:03:05) Kev: There’s still light at that time, but okay. Yeah, all right (0:03:06) Codey: information. Yeah. So I had gone outside, just like poked my (0:03:10) Codey: head outside. And it sounded like a frickin jet engine. It (0:03:13) Codey: was so loud. And I was like, Yep, it sure is storming. And I (0:03:17) Codey: told the other people to go check it out. They poked their (0:03:20) Codey: heads out. They were like, “Yep, sure, it’s working.” (0:03:22) Codey: And so we were like, “Okay.” And then, yeah, not long after that, power goes out. (0:03:28) Codey: And so we’re feeding, we’re like laughing about it, whatever, we have like little lights and everything. (0:03:33) Codey: We’re feeding baby squirrels with lamps with like headlamps on and stuff and doing just us, I think. (0:03:36) Kev: Very cute. (0:03:37) Kev: The pictures, I’ve seen the pictures. (0:03:42) Kev: Wait, did you have the lamps (0:03:43) Kev: or did the squirrels have the lamps? (0:03:44) Kev: Both. (0:03:46) Codey: Yeah, it was just us. But there were like little, the owner has like lanterns everywhere. (0:03:51) Codey: We found out that the. (0:03:52) Codey: Um, sinks are run. (0:03:56) Codey: There’s a pump that takes the stuff from the sinks. (0:03:59) Codey: So then we weren’t even able to do dishes. (0:04:02) Codey: So then we were just kind of like sitting there waiting for her to put the backup (0:04:06) Codey: generator on took like 20, 30 minutes. (0:04:08) Codey: And then when we had backup generator, it was great. (0:04:10) Codey: Like no issues. (0:04:12) Codey: Um, Jeff, my partner texts me and is like, Hey, we don’t have power. (0:04:15) Codey: I’m like dope. (0:04:17) Codey: When I leave, I see all of the messages and basically it was a derecho storm (0:04:23) Codey: I don’t know how you say it. (0:04:24) Codey: We had like 90 mile an hour winds and there were trees, um, that were (0:04:30) Codey: straight up uprooted and like power lines that went across the road. (0:04:32) Kev: Oh, that’s sick. (0:04:38) Codey: Uh, animals were indeed. (0:04:38) Kev: Animals were indeed thrown out of the trees (0:04:41) Kev: with said trees. (0:04:42) Codey: Yes, they were. (0:04:43) Kev: With said trees. (0:04:45) Codey: We, I have not worked since that day and I, the messages have been going crazy, (0:04:50) Codey: but I have had other stuff to do. (0:04:52) Codey: So yeah, we’re out of power and we’re like, okay, this is probably just like, (0:04:57) Codey: they just got to put it back up every now and then we’ll go out of power (0:04:59) Codey: for like 10 or 15 minutes. (0:05:00) Codey: It’s not a big deal. (0:05:01) Codey: Um, nope. (0:05:03) Codey: Next morning we wake up and on our like weather outage app, it’s like, uh, (0:05:09) Codey: time estimated time to restoration, to restoration of, of power unknown. (0:05:16) Kev: Big old shrug (0:05:18) Codey: Yeah. (0:05:18) Codey: Big old shrug. (0:05:19) Codey: And they, it was like right down the street, like there was a power line (0:05:22) Codey: that was just straight up across the road. (0:05:24) Codey: And it was like that for a day and a half. (0:05:28) Codey: So like over 200,000 people in Western Pennsylvania, we’re just like out of power. (0:05:34) Codey: Um, I was out of power for two full days. (0:05:37) Codey: We had to throw away all of our food. (0:05:39) Codey: Um, and I was like really grumpy because I had planned on doing all of my chores (0:05:45) Codey: that Wednesday, I was so excited. (0:05:46) Kev: Mmm, mmm. (0:05:48) Codey: that includes like vacuuming and dishes and laundry. (0:05:53) Codey: I couldn’t do any of that stuff. (0:05:54) Codey: And yeah, it was like the whole town, except for they kicked power (0:05:57) Codey: on for like some of the businesses, some of the grocery stores. (0:06:00) Codey: Cause they knew everyone was going to need grocery store stuff. (0:06:02) Codey: So they made sure that those lines were up and that the like hospital was up and (0:06:07) Codey: stuff, but most of the residences didn’t have power for at least two days. (0:06:12) Codey: So that was crazy. (0:06:13) Codey: That was, so that was a reason, um, when they were like, Oh, you (0:06:17) Codey: want to do news this week? (0:06:18) Codey: I was like, I still have a lot of stuff to get caught up. (0:06:22) Kev: Yeah, well, appreciate it, you know, that you managed to strap the baby squirrels to (0:06:23) Codey: I don’t know, but it’s fun. (0:06:25) Codey: Um, (0:06:30) Kev: a hamster wheel to power your computer to record this. (0:06:31) Codey: yeah, yeah, they, some of them, the red squirrels would love that actually. (0:06:34) Kev: I’m sure they would. (0:06:38) Codey: Um, yeah. (0:06:39) Codey: So I’m, I did that. (0:06:40) Codey: That was me for two days. (0:06:41) Codey: I was straight up roughing it. (0:06:43) Codey: Um, also I went to a nursery today at plant nursery and I got four different (0:06:50) Codey: species, not species, four different varieties. (0:06:52) Codey: of peppers. I got some herbs and I got some tomatoes so it about to be in real (0:06:56) Kev: ooh peppers okay (0:07:03) Codey: life farming for me. Yeah. (0:07:05) Kev: all right that’s good stuff so you know back back in many many moons ago when I actually (0:07:12) Kev: lived in a house with the backyard um we we had a garden and we had and all basically all those (0:07:18) Kev: things um tomatoes and peppers I forget the other one but um but those are good ones to grow they’re (0:07:20) Codey: Yeah, and I also got kale as well. Yeah, so those are all going to grow in my back. I have like a little area that’s kind of closed off. So I’m going to give it a try because we got a shot, a glimpse of what it looks like to be in a post-apocalyptic scenario with no power and having to live on our own, you know. (0:07:23) Kev: hardy and you can get a lot of them, you know. (0:07:26) Kev: There you go. (0:07:43) Kev: Mm-hmm. Off the land. Yep. Yeah. Well, um, that’s pretty, well, the power outage thing’s (0:07:50) Codey: Like off the land. So I also, I wanted to garden anyway, but it’s a joke. (0:08:00) Kev: not cool. Like, that’s wild. I’ve never had an, I’ve extended power outage, I guess, like (0:08:04) Codey: Yeah, it was it was cool for a while, I just realized like I listeners I entreat you to take a moment, you can pause this for like a minute or something after I post this, think about what you do that requires electricity, and then just don’t touch that for a day. (0:08:05) Kev: couple hours. So that’s, that’s a lot to hear, but I’m glad you’re out of it. Okay. Son’s (0:08:26) Kev: I mean, yeah, everything. (0:08:29) Kev: We’re the brain rot termly online. (0:08:34) Kev: But even aside from that, yeah, I’m (0:08:37) Kev: living in an apartment complex. (0:08:39) Kev: Everything is electric for me. (0:08:40) Codey: Yeah, I got all like yep alt might our stove is electric all of our lights clearly are electric (0:08:42) Kev: Even my stove, I’d be out. (0:08:44) Kev: Yep. (0:08:49) Codey: Couldn’t do any cleaning couldn’t do like I was trying to use my phone as little as possible (0:08:56) Codey: but I could take it like I could jump in my car and like (0:08:56) Kev: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. (0:09:00) Codey: Drive around but I’m sure there were probably gas shortages because everyone was trying to power their generators (0:09:07) Codey: But yeah, I was like wow a lot of my life is (0:09:11) Codey: That so I did a lot of yard work (0:09:13) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I’m sure the the challenge I think would for at least in my scenario would be the food because (0:09:20) Kev: You know, we we’re you can’t go out because restaurants are gonna be down too, right? So (0:09:26) Codey: A lot of the restaurants were down and then the second day when some of the stuff had jumped back up, all the restaurants were swamped because everyone was going out to the restaurants. (0:09:34) Kev: Yeah, of course, of course, of course, yeah, but yeah (0:09:38) Codey: Yeah, so you can’t, you can’t really do that. (0:09:42) Kev: So you did non (0:09:43) Kev: perishable stuff that’s ready to eat and won’t go bad. So like, I hope you have a lot of fruit, (0:09:44) Codey: Yep. (0:09:48) Codey: It was boring. (0:09:50) Kev: I guess a cereal I don’t know because you can’t even have the cold milk. Nevermind. (0:09:52) Codey: I can’t yeah our milk went bad real fast, so. (0:09:56) Kev: Yeah, no. Um, yeah, I don’t even like break out the the spam. I don’t even know. (0:09:56) Codey: Yeah. (0:10:06) Codey: I pretty much, I got chips. (0:10:07) Kev: Can you eat spam out of the can? Yeah. (0:10:09) Codey: I got like a thing of chips. (0:10:10) Codey: So like of little individual packages of chips. (0:10:13) Codey: So I have that. (0:10:14) Codey: I bought Chewy bars, like granola bars. (0:10:16) Kev: Oh, all of those are good. Yep. One of the bars. That’s good. Yeah. (0:10:19) Codey: And that’s all I bought. (0:10:22) Codey: Because then after that, we just got like some fast, (0:10:26) Codey: but even the fast food lines were like so long. (0:10:30) Kev: Yeah, of course. Of course. (0:10:30) Codey: It was crazy. (0:10:33) Codey: Yeah. (0:10:33) Codey: The only other thing that I’ve been up to (0:10:37) Codey: Breath of the Wild. (0:10:39) Codey: And then now that we have power again, (0:10:41) Codey: suddenly there’s a new season of Fortnite (0:10:43) Codey: and it is all Star Wars themed. (0:10:46) Kev: Oh, is is glub shadow in it? (0:10:47) Codey: So I don’t know what that is. (0:10:51) Codey: I’m not a Star Wars human. (0:10:53) Codey: I don’t like Star Wars. (0:10:54) Codey: So you’re gonna send me a picture. (0:10:56) Kev: OK, hold on, let me just pronounce it correctly. (0:10:59) Kev: No, no, it’s it’s so it’s a it’s a meme (0:11:05) Kev: just because. (0:11:07) Kev: Yeah, because obviously Star Wars have all these goofy dumb names or whatever. (0:11:12) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:11:12) Kev: There’s the running gag of Guelp’s shadow of just being a made-up name-slash- (0:11:16) Kev: character and always saying, “Oh, I love Guelp’s shadow. He’s my favorite Star Wars (0:11:20) Kev: character just because he sounds like a real one.” But yeah, Star Wars. I mean, that makes sense that (0:11:22) Codey: Got it, okay, cool (0:11:28) Kev: the third one movie came out. I’m not that big of a Star Wars person, but yeah, sure. Why not? (0:11:34) Codey: Yeah. So that is the short version of what I expected to do. Oh, what have you got, Toucan? (0:11:35) Kev: I mean, it’s cool. I respect it. I just, I’ve never really watched much, many of the movies. (0:11:42) Kev: Yeah. (0:11:49) Kev: She didn’t get into how she had to kill the bear for survival. (0:11:54) Codey: Yeah, didn’t get into any of that. Or my knitting. I’ve been knitting a lot, but it’s fine. You (0:11:58) Kev: Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, good stuff. All right. Well, over here, I have had power. So, (0:11:58) Codey: You have to go to the Slack for that information, kids. (0:12:08) Kev: you know, a different experience. Going to roll that in. Just going to show off all the power I (0:12:10) Codey: - Wow. (0:12:12) Kev: have here. Okay. Okay. (0:12:16) Kev: So it’s been busy week. So it’s endless zone zero. I mean, I’ve played daily. I don’t talk about it much because most of the time it’s like it’s a new character I like about, but nobody cares about. So whatever. But this past update this past week or the week before was a big one. Because it was the final, final update for season one stuff. Season one had this whole storyline plot lines connected. And so the next update, we’re going to get a whole new (0:12:46) Kev: batch of stories and characters and all new no, no, no dangling threads, really. So it’s good. That’s, that’s kind of cool. And the character that dropped with this update, her name is Vivian. She is a kind of like Victorian gothic, you know, big, not super big. She’s got a dress with a big, like, almost hoop skirt looking thing and an umbrella, you know what I’m talking about. And she’s got pointy ears. So (0:13:16) Kev: it’s kind of vampire ish gothic, like I said, style that they’re going for her. And so she’s fun. But what I really like about her is that under the dress, there’s actually a bunch of rockets strapped under there. So she’ll launch yourself into the sky, and then launch yourself down at people, which is really funny. So yeah, she’s she’s great. I love Vivian. She’s also hilarious, because she’s something of a fanboy of the main character that you’re playing as. And it’s really, really funny. (0:13:26) Codey: Okay. (0:13:44) Kev: But anyways, yeah. (0:13:46) Kev: I’m just they did show a trailer for season two and there’s all sorts of new characters and stuff including a playable panda, which I’m looking forward to but but yeah, that’s that’s that’s my gotcha corner for myself. (0:14:01) Kev: Let’s see the other okay I picked up a new game this week actually. (0:14:05) Kev: rat topia do you do you remember this one? Oh, we’ve talked about it on the show. I don’t know if I’m in the episode you were on, but are you familiar. (0:14:06) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:14:11) Codey: Yeah, yeah (0:14:14) Kev: So, yeah, so for people who may not. (0:14:16) Kev: I don’t remember, it’s very Terraria like, right, like the 2D slice of earth, you see everything, but you control a rat princess queen, and you are establishing a new rat city village kingdom thing. (0:14:34) Kev: So it’s great because it’s, again, very Terraria like, but as the leader, you get to command the people who move into your town, you actually get to command them to go. (0:14:46) Kev: Do this job, do, you know, mine here, do this, you’re now the logger, whatever. (0:14:48) Codey: Hmm. (0:14:52) Kev: So that part is really cool. That really excited me because I love when you actually get to command people and they do stuff in these games, right? (0:14:58) Codey: Yeah. (0:15:00) Kev: And I like rats. The art style is cute. But, you know, I like little critters in general. So that was fun. (0:15:08) Kev: And the game’s good, but it also can be really hard. It turns out running a kingdom is really hard because sometimes. (0:15:12) Codey: Mmm (0:15:16) Kev: You have to defend from zombie rats invading your town. You have to manage an economy. Do you know how fun that is to figure out how much you should be taxing or subsidizing? (0:15:26) Codey: Nope. (0:15:28) Codey: That does not sound fun. (0:15:30) Kev: It’s wild. I’ve had to start over a few times because I just backed myself into a corner of unsavable. I destroyed the kingdom. (0:15:42) Kev: So, yeah, that, you know, kind of like the real life car, I mean, it’s just… (0:15:46) Kev: I can just restart the politics, yeah. (0:15:53) Kev: But yeah, that’s Rhetopia. (0:15:54) Kev: Overall, it’s a great game, two thumbs up from me. (0:15:58) Kev: I hear other people are interested in this game (0:16:00) Kev: and may talk about it and play it (0:16:02) Kev: and discuss it at length somewhere. (0:16:05) Kev: So yeah, keep an eye out for that. (0:16:08) Kev: And the other one, so lastly, not game specific, (0:16:14) Kev: But, uh, oh. (0:16:16) Kev: Uh, this past, a couple of days ago, I went, I went out to the club. (0:16:20) Kev: I don’t go very often, but I liked the club. (0:16:22) Kev: Um, I liked to dance. (0:16:24) Kev: Um, I, yeah. (0:16:24) Codey: Okay, awesome! (0:16:26) Kev: Um, so it was a solo trip. (0:16:29) Kev: It was just me. (0:16:31) Kev: Um, I was like, you know what? (0:16:32) Kev: I’ve been, I’ve had a very stressful couple of weeks. (0:16:34) Kev: I was like, you know, I’m going to get away for a day and go for a night out. (0:16:38) Kev: And then I had fun or whatever. (0:16:40) Kev: Um, I went to the, uh, club by the. (0:16:46) Kev: Area I went to is very college heavy. (0:16:48) Kev: Um, so, um, I, at first when I got there, I think I got there, no, not I think (0:16:48) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:16:53) Kev: I did get there a little too early. (0:16:54) Kev: So I thought, you know what? (0:16:55) Kev: Maybe this was a bad call. (0:16:56) Kev: Cause you know, the semester’s are ending for colleges. (0:16:59) Kev: I don’t know. (0:16:59) Kev: People aren’t going to be there. (0:17:00) Kev: Um, but it did populate eventually. (0:17:03) Kev: Um, and now I’m only 30, what am I two? (0:17:04) Codey: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, yeah, yeah, it doesn’t matter anymore. (0:17:08) Kev: No, yeah, 30. (0:17:09) Kev: Yeah, 30. (0:17:09) Kev: Yeah. (0:17:09) Kev: No, I forget after 26, I lose track. (0:17:12) Kev: Um, yeah, yeah, right. (0:17:14) Kev: So I’m. (0:17:16) Kev: Not, yeah, yeah. (0:17:17) Kev: So I’m not old, but especially in this college heavy area, I feel old (0:17:20) Kev: man at the club, just, just a wee bit. (0:17:24) Kev: I’m laying out there in my slacks and a little vest. (0:17:26) Kev: I’m looking, you know, I’m feeling snappy, but everyone else are the (0:17:30) Kev: majest majority of people are college aged kids with t-shirts and the shorts (0:17:34) Kev: and whatever, so I’m sticking out. (0:17:36) Kev: Um, but, uh, but overall I still had fun. (0:17:39) Kev: Um, I just, okay, here’s my biggest old man thing. (0:17:44) Kev: All right, embrace yourself. (0:17:44) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:17:46) Kev: Um, I, um, so I’m a single guy, right? (0:17:46) Codey: Okay. (0:17:49) Kev: And, you know, obviously with heading out to the club, one of the things is like, (0:17:53) Kev: you know, maybe I’ll find someone to dance with, right? (0:17:56) Kev: Cause that’s, that’s just the thing. (0:17:57) Kev: Or so I thought because, uh, I struck out all night and that’s, that’s fine. (0:17:58) Codey: - Mm-hmm. (0:18:02) Kev: That happens. (0:18:03) Kev: And you know, whatever, but after talking to other people, apparently the scene (0:18:07) Kev: has kind of changed, like everyone’s just going up in groups or, or people very (0:18:14) Kev: We rarely actually (0:18:16) Kev: like reach out to strangers or accept the strangers to dance with and apparently you (0:18:23) Kev: gotta like you know meet up beforehand or you know you’re meet up online and decide (0:18:28) Kev: to do so or whatever but that’s just that’s that again that’s just me old manning here (0:18:32) Kev: like I’m I’m just shocked to see that the the the scene has changed as it will or as (0:18:39) Kev: it were (0:18:39) Codey: - Dating, dating is awful. (0:18:43) Codey: Yeah, I, when I was dating, (0:18:46) Codey: even like five years ago, I hated it. (0:18:48) Codey: - Yeah, no, it was awful. (0:18:50) Kev: Yeah, yeah, but um, but yeah, that’s just like I’m I’m too on hip to (0:19:00) Kev: Yeah, I’m I’m out of it. I’m it’s it’s all the zoomers. I can’t keep up with them (0:19:07) Kev: That their fortnight dances in the floss (0:19:11) Kev: All right, that’s all I got (0:19:15) Kev: Alright, let’s get to let’s get to I know what you’re at least (0:19:20) Kev: last month or monthly segment where we talk about stuff that just came out, but before we do, (0:19:23) Codey: No, I didn’t know there was a new one. (0:19:24) Kev: did you see the trailer for I know what you did last summer the new one? (0:19:30) Kev: Yeah, our you know, obviously what we’re riffing off here for the title segment that movie got a (0:19:37) Kev: I don’t sequel reboot thing it’s it’s it’s it’s that trend where it’s reusing the original title (0:19:44) Kev: just called I know what you did last summer and it’s you know the same premise but oh look there’s (0:19:50) Kev: original character who is it Sarah Michelle Keller I think it is I don’t remember the original actress (0:19:56) Kev: from the original oh and she’s there older and she’s gonna be helping out and and you know it’s (0:20:01) Kev: it’s just the rehash that Hollywood has been doing with all especially a lot of horror movies it feels (0:20:05) Kev: like but yeah I just just want to point out that I got a trailer I haven’t watched any of the other (0:20:12) Kev: ones so whatever but it’s just interesting (0:20:14) Codey: Yeah, I don’t mind like when they do that stuff. So I really love the scream franchise. (0:20:20) Kev: yeah the scream one seemed to do I hadn’t seen the newer ones but that seemed pretty well done how (0:20:26) Kev: they did it yeah all right there you go that first scream is really good like I get it when (0:20:28) Codey: So yeah, 10 out of 10. (0:20:36) Codey: Yeah, we. (0:20:36) Kev: I watched it the first time I was like oh okay I get it um okay uh all right not for games that (0:20:45) Kev: Come on, non-horror games, Cottage Court games, if you don’t like those, do you? (0:20:45) Codey: Mm-hmm, yeah. (0:20:50) Kev: If you like those movies, you might like this. (0:20:52) Kev: Alright, first of all, Bugaboo Pocket, what I call the Bugagotchi game, because it’s 2D pixel style, very detailed, very gorgeous looking sprite work of bugs, and you pet them and do games with them. (0:21:02) Codey: Mm hmm. It was so good. I’m like still so tempted to get that but I will I will I will hold off. (0:21:18) Kev: There’s, there is a lot I will say. There’s Tarot, there’s also it looks like a Fruit Ninja game, and a lot of petting of bugs, they’re very cute but yeah this, yeah, it looks, well maybe you should get the full release so, so it is as long as you want it to be. (0:21:26) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:21:31) Codey: Yeah, I played the demo the demo was super good it’s just wasn’t as long as I wanted it to be (0:21:43) Kev: Oh, if you look on their Steam page, they have a big, like, Nintendo seal of a period. (0:21:48) Kev: So now on the flip side, something that is more pocket, as in Polly Pocket, because Tiny (0:22:09) Kev: Garden came out. The Polly Pocket game, or inspired game, it is a game, not a physical. (0:22:18) Kev: Thing that you can open, and you garden inside your little Polly Pocket world, and you kind of (0:22:23) Kev: rearrange and decorate and all that good stuff. I have not played this game. It looks a lot like a (0:22:32) Kev: game called Garden Galaxy that I did play, which was fine. I think it looks very cute, this Tiny (0:22:38) Kev: Garden. It looks well done, but yeah, go check that out if you’re interested. The gardens are (0:22:46) Kev: So very cute, I will say that. (0:22:49) Kev: Um, let’s see here. (0:22:51) Kev: Next up, we have Opidum, I think. I think I say it different every time. (0:22:54) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:22:57) Kev: It is the, what I call, multiplayer pow world-esque equivalent of Breath of the Wild, because it’s open world sandbox key. (0:23:09) Kev: And you know, it has all your usual survival, whatever. (0:23:13) Kev: Um, but the combat, the combat is just so very clearly Breath of the Wild-ish. (0:23:18) Kev: Feeling, um, which is fine because, you know, that’s a good game to take inspiration from. (0:23:24) Kev: But, uh, but yeah, um, I, you know, a full 3d game like this being multiplayer co-op, (0:23:31) Kev: that is pretty cool. I will give them that. Um, so I don’t know if I’m going to try it just because (0:23:36) Kev: I don’t have room for it right now, but, uh, good on, uh, good on, uh, E.P. games is the (0:23:42) Kev: dev. He came out with it and it’s finished. Um, well, I say it’s finished. It’s really (0:23:48) Kev: released. Um, yeah, and multi multiplayer Breath of the Wild, they’re, they’re just (0:23:54) Kev: sound like a neat niche for that. So, um, yeah, good on them. Uh, and then let’s see, (0:24:00) Kev: lastly on our list, we have Dean Come 1.0. This is our survive, again, survival-less life sim game, (0:24:09) Kev: whatever. Uh, but this time you’re, uh, you’re in Australia. Um, so you farm, hunt, mine, fish, (0:24:14) Kev: all that good stuff do do all the Australian things is our (0:24:18) Kev: friend mark and it may be because as we all know, (0:24:21) Kev: Australia is a small little island nation and almost really (0:24:25) Kev: the people they all know each other and just they basically (0:24:26) Codey: They should, they all know each other. (0:24:31) Kev: walk by each other every day on their way home. But anyways, (0:24:36) Kev: but yeah, look, Australia is very cool. I always I adore like (0:24:39) Kev: reading about as a kid who loved wildlife and animals and Steve (0:24:43) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:24:44) Kev: Irwin, right? Like Australia was very big in the 90s. And I’ve (0:24:46) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:24:47) Kev: read and bought a lot of (0:24:48) Kev: Australia. (0:24:49) Codey: Have you seen some of the new photos that Robert Irwin posted? (0:24:54) Kev: No, what does he do? (0:24:54) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:24:56) Kev: What is he doing? (0:24:58) Codey: Don’t look at it. (0:25:00) Kev: Wait, don’t why not? (0:25:02) Codey: Unless you are a housewife that is bored. (0:25:07) Codey: He posted a risque. (0:25:08) Kev: Oh, dear. (0:25:10) Codey: No, it wasn’t. (0:25:11) Kev: Oh, my gosh, I see. (0:25:11) Codey: It wasn’t risque. (0:25:13) Codey: It was just Robert Irwin in underwear. (0:25:14) Kev: No, I get it. (0:25:17) Kev: I i didn’t yeah (0:25:18) Kev: oh that’s uh yeah that is underwear those are boxers yep I see it (0:25:18) Codey: But Instagram was going insane. (0:25:23) Kev: with him holding it looks like a gila monster or something (0:25:26) Codey: Yeah, he was also holding a snake at some point. (0:25:27) Kev: yeah oh wait oh I see oh that snake that’s a different one yeah (0:25:29) Codey: Yeah. (0:25:31) Codey: He could have a whole calendar. (0:25:34) Codey: And I’m sure he’d make millions. (0:25:36) Codey: Yeah, no, I think that the idea of a survival game in Australia– (0:25:37) Kev: oh that’s good (0:25:43) Codey: why hasn’t that happened yet? (0:25:46) Codey: Why has it taken this long? (0:25:46) Kev: Yeah, you’re right. And it’s an Australian pleasant places. This is just my daily lives. (0:25:58) Kev: This is just the Sims. This isn’t anything special. No, but but yeah, I mean, all you know, (0:26:05) Kev: all joking, the Australia danger death zone aside, you know, it has the wide variety of unique floor (0:26:13) Kev: and faunus that makes for I think doesn’t make great for (0:26:16) Kev: great setting for this kind of game although you know fighting the boss shark is kind of ridiculous (0:26:22) Kev: but in a fun way um so yeah that’s dinkum 1.0 um it is again much like op-ed you can play co-op (0:26:30) Kev: with people um that is out right now um 1.0 um there’s lots of stuff go check out the link you (0:26:39) Kev: know where to find all that stuff um okay yep there you go let’s talk (0:26:43) Codey: And that’s what released last month. (0:26:47) Kev: stuff that didn’t release next month but supposedly releasing in the future supposedly (0:26:54) Kev: all right harvest moon double pack of ports um we have sky tree uh lost valley and sky tree village (0:27:04) Kev: being released uh as a double pack um for uh let’s see I don’t know switch is that what it is okay (0:27:13) Kev: Yeah that makes sense. It is getting a… (0:27:17) Kev: A physical release through the Natsume store, that’s where it is, yeah through the Natsume store. (0:27:24) Kev: You can get a physical copy including an acrylic standee which I don’t think looks particularly noteworthy or nice, but there you go if you’re interested. (0:27:30) Codey: Yeah, but I mean maybe if this was a game that someone really liked then that’s that’s cool for them (0:27:35) Kev: Yeah, yeah, but do those people exist though? (0:27:37) Codey: But I (0:27:39) Codey: Don’t know not to me just trying to milk the cash cow as long as they can (0:27:45) Kev: the literal cash cow. (0:27:46) Codey: Yeah (0:27:48) Kev: I will give them this. They’ve done a dang good job because it’s been a hot minute since they just did the localization, (0:27:56) Kev: but they’re still running. It is so good. I respect that hustle. (0:28:04) Codey: So yeah, 3rd of July if folks are interested in that. (0:28:06) Kev: Oh, thank you. Yeah, the date. I guess that matters. (0:28:12) Kev: Um, next up, all right, here is a game I do care about though. (0:28:15) Kev: Actually, let’s talk about. (0:28:16) Kev: Cattle Country, um, your 2d pixel art Western frontier, um, Stardew ish like where you’re, you’re doing all the things, um, and you can little bit Oregon Trail, a little bit Stardew Valley, I guess, I don’t know, but, uh, yeah, um, it comes, it is releasing on May 27th, um, which that is very close. (0:28:35) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:28:41) Codey: Ooh, that’s close. (0:28:44) Kev: Um, that’s a bad time. That’s always a busy time. (0:28:46) Kev: Um, yeah, that’s, that’s a couple of weeks. Um, I’m looking forward to it and I’ll be (0:28:47) Codey: Okay. (0:28:48) Codey: Did you, like, back it or anything, or you haven’t bought it yet? (0:28:53) Codey: Okay. (0:29:14) Kev: playing it. Keep your eyes. (0:29:16) Kev: Ears peeled, I guess. I don’t know how to peel ears. But here we are. Let’s see. Now we have (0:29:29) Kev: the next game, 2Pixellia, that is out now. This is, yeah, May 1st, it just released. This one is a (0:29:32) Codey: Mm hmm. Yep. (0:29:43) Kev: again pixel art to the kind of city (0:29:47) Codey: Mm-hmm. Yeah, this is the one that doesn’t know what it wants to be, (0:29:47) Kev: simulator I guess um yeah (0:29:53) Codey: and there’s so many different things in it. I believe Al backed this one, so he has it. (0:29:59) Kev: that’s a safe bet (0:29:59) Codey: We’ll probably hear about it, but watching the trailer and stuff, I was just so like… (0:30:06) Kev: it’s it’s a lot if it feels like honestly it feels like taking control of (0:30:12) Kev: one of the sims instead of watching them do (0:30:14) Codey: Yeah. (0:30:15) Kev: everything like just playing them you know (0:30:17) Kev: um so i’ll check it out if you want if you want to do (0:30:22) Kev: crimes you can do crimes so i’ll give them that (0:30:24) Codey: You can do crimes in this game can’t break up marriages though. (0:30:25) Kev: or you can do crimes i’ll give them that (0:30:29) Kev: all right not not yet again that is two pixely and that is (0:30:35) Kev: out now on steam at least I don’t know where else but uh (0:30:38) Kev: there you go all right let’s get into games that already (0:30:43) Kev: did come out but now have more stuff coming out (0:30:47) Kev: okay okay this first one blew my mind because I thought this game was (0:30:52) Kev: dead based like not dead but you know done I can (0:30:54) Codey: Dude, no, this game is not dead. (0:30:57) Codey: This game slaps. (0:30:59) Codey: I wanna play it so bad. (0:30:59) Kev: well I mean yeah I mean i’m not saying that (0:31:02) Kev: dead like people aren’t playing it just I didn’t think they were we’re gonna get (0:31:06) Kev: an update but I guess if there is one franchise in (0:31:09) Kev: the world that can do whatever they want it would be (0:31:13) Kev: san rio and hello kitty because hello kitty island adventure has (0:31:17) Kev: not one but two updates well one of them I think (0:31:21) Kev: came out already um the other one was announced (0:31:25) Kev: Um, so there is the first one is (0:31:29) Kev: the, um, friends furniture and frozen peaks expansion. Um, (0:31:34) Kev: I think that’s out already. Um, there is, uh, (0:31:39) Kev: expansions to believe new areas, Blizzard peak and snow village. (0:31:44) Kev: There are new types of weather flowers, all sorts of new story and cosmetics, (0:31:49) Kev: um, and more improvements and refinements to the friendship system, (0:31:53) Kev: which were needed. Um, just, yeah, just a lot of stuff. (0:31:57) Kev: There’s a lot of stuff again. (0:31:59) Kev: The ice area that’s the big one and improvements to the, you know, UIs and experiences. Nice little (0:32:07) Kev: quality of life touches here and there. All sorts of new furniture and cosmetics. (0:32:15) Kev: There’s some new quests and storylines, all that stuff. Yeah, yeah. (0:32:20) Codey: Sorry, I I was trying to see what it was available on and it is on Apple Arcade (0:32:27) Kev: I mean, it’s on the Steam page. (0:32:29) Kev: So I assume it’s, yeah. (0:32:31) Codey: Yeah, so it’s on Steam but it’s also on Apple Arcade well because on Steam it’s only or sorry it’s on Steam it’s only (0:32:40) Codey: Windows but then it so to play it on Mac you have to play it in Apple Arcade (0:32:43) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:32:47) Codey: I’m wondering, so it’s also on switch. (0:32:53) Kev: on everything, I think, right? I’m just gonna… Look, I’m assuming their deep pockets have (0:32:59) Kev: enabled it to just be out on everything. (0:33:02) Codey: No, they don’t have a Xbox. I was looking for that because I have game pass. Yeah, looking (0:33:08) Kev: - Oh, well, everything they’re on. (0:33:09) Codey: at this, looking at this like update, the biggest thing that I lost my mind about was (0:33:14) Codey: Aggretsuko. So they added, it was, I think it was just in the friends furniture and frozen (0:33:16) Kev: Yeah (0:33:23) Codey: peaks. One, they added Retsuko. So from the TV show, Aggretsuko, they added. (0:33:24) Kev: Yeah (0:33:30) Kev: Well retzeko was in already (0:33:32) Codey: But her friends and coworkers are now. (0:33:35) Kev: That’s correct (0:33:36) Kev: But she was the weird one because nobody knew her because she was from a different part of the scenario verse (0:33:41) Kev: But now yes the supporting ritz a gretzeko cast is here (0:33:46) Kev: I haven’t watched the anime so I can’t get hyped, but I’m kind of hyped because it’s cool (0:33:50) Kev: I like the anime without watching it. It’s a good concept (0:33:54) Codey: I friggin love that anime. Well, because I love metal, so it like tickles that fancy. (0:34:01) Codey: Yeah, I don’t know. Yeah, the other update is called the month of meh. (0:34:02) Kev: Yep, I’ll do it (0:34:07) Kev: But (0:34:10) Kev: Okay, I just got to say when I saw this I thought that was I’ll know it I was like wow I’ll jam (0:34:15) Codey: See, I thought I was saying like, eh, this game sucks. And then I looked, I was like, oh no, it’s literally. (0:34:17) Kev: Don’t like this update, huh? (0:34:24) Codey: Called the month of meh. And there’s Gudetama as. Oh, okay. (0:34:25) Kev: The next up is called month of man (0:34:32) Kev: As good atomic it’s a good atomic festival of sorts right cuz (0:34:38) Kev: yeah, because the Hello Kitty Island adventure does like kind of like Animal Crossing where you know special events or (0:34:45) Kev: Theirs are usually like maybe a week or two. Whatever like oh, here’s the (0:34:50) Kev: Chinese New Year’s the Christmas is the Halloween whatever right they do their monthly your seasonal events and this appears to be one of those (0:34:54) Codey: This, this character that’s dressed as an egg yolk though, a nisetami-san. (0:34:57) Kev: from a night what I saw (0:35:02) Kev: I (0:35:04) Kev: Don’t know who that is. Is that a Sandra Hill character because okay, cuz everyone knows Goude Thomas the lazy egg with the butt (0:35:05) Codey: I don’t like it. (0:35:07) Codey: I don’t like it. (0:35:11) Kev: All right, he’s it’s a little the little guy, right? It’s like, you know standard chicken egg and the little guy is that (0:35:18) Kev: But this guy (0:35:20) Kev: He said Thomas son. No, that is a full grown (0:35:24) Codey: That’s a person, and it’s in a weird costume, and I don’t like that. (0:35:24) Kev: sized human man in a (0:35:28) Kev: You know like yellow (0:35:32) Kev: Jump not jumps, you know, it’s those weird Halloween costumes (0:35:34) Codey: body suits. Yeah. That’s a choice. (0:35:36) Kev: Yeah, the bodysuits that are the single colors and he’s dressed up like Gudetama, but he’s got a very (0:35:43) Kev: Bland face. I don’t I don’t know how to (0:35:46) Codey: the face is honestly the worst part like if if it was like a normal face I would be like (0:35:51) Codey: oh it’s a person but the face I’m just like what is happening um (0:35:55) Kev: Yeah, no, I’m looking this up, this is not new, this is a Sanrio. (0:35:59) Codey: I’m sure it’s a character I just it’s character I didn’t know and I would love to go back to (0:36:01) Kev: Yup. (0:36:03) Kev: It’s a man dressed as Gudetama, so there you go. (0:36:06) Codey: I’d love to go back to five minutes ago when I did not know what six things existed (0:36:12) Kev: He’s got very thick eyebrows. (0:36:14) Kev: That might be part of the problem. (0:36:16) Codey: I don’t know I don’t know (0:36:19) Kev: Well, there you go. (0:36:19) Kev: There’s the month of May. (0:36:21) Kev: It’s through the month of May. (0:36:24) Kev: You get it? (0:36:25) Kev: You get it? (0:36:25) Kev: I don’t know if that was their intention, (0:36:27) Codey: it’s gonna be meth (0:36:27) Kev: but whatever worked out. (0:36:29) Kev: You know what’s not– well, actually, I’m (0:36:31) Kev: sure the update itself is not meh. (0:36:33) Kev: But you know what else is not meh? (0:36:35) Kev: These new games actually– no, they’re all right. (0:36:36) Codey: Oh, no, we got another update. (0:36:39) Kev: Oh, I did skip one. (0:36:41) Kev: Whoopsie. (0:36:41) Codey: There was another update, but it’s only the 0.5 update, (0:36:42) Kev: Oh yeah. (0:36:45) Codey: y’all, so don’t worry. (0:36:46) Codey: It’s not really– (0:36:50) Codey: it’s not a real update. (0:36:51) Codey: No, it’s fine. (0:36:53) Codey: The game Far Lands has a 0.5 update (0:36:56) Codey: that adds a bunch of stuff, including (0:36:58) Codey: hostile mobs in the mines, a new mine (0:37:01) Codey: that you can go to, 10 new social events, Steam Deck (0:37:05) Codey: support, uh, furniture. (0:37:06) Codey: I didn’t, I haven’t really looked at this game before, you kind of just look like a zombie. (0:37:14) Kev: yeah you look like a weird uh yeah a lot of the other characters because you crash line on like (0:37:20) Kev: an alien planet and they’re all alien zombie-ish in appearance I i I agree um but uh yeah okay it (0:37:29) Kev: feels a little space tardewy but it has a little more flavor it has a little more sauce as the kids (0:37:34) Kev: call it um like uh it I that’s what I hear look I still tutor kids okay you know okay (0:37:36) Codey: Is that what the kids are calling it? (0:37:44) Kev: tangent hey shocker me cody you’re going to tangent but okay look I know every generation (0:37:46) Codey: Tangent, boom, boom, boom, boom. (0:37:52) Kev: our generation and everyone has their slang and lingo and and bads and whatever right (0:37:58) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:37:59) Kev: but that I think i’ve been thinking about this because as I tutor right like I see the the next (0:38:05) Kev: generation of kids or it’s also i’m like a couple cycles in at this point really um because i’ve (0:38:10) Kev: tutored for so dang long it’s it’s gotten horrendous the the skipper (0:38:15) Kev: generation as i’m gonna call it because I think that’s the emblematic uh term and and (0:38:16) Codey: Yeah, it’s it’s the brain rot generation. So they, they say like the they they’re that (0:38:22) Kev: yes the brain rot generation there too (0:38:26) Codey: what they’re going to watch is just brain rot and just cringe. And like, yeah, they (0:38:28) Kev: yep yep all that like I i don’t either it’s not and like (0:38:31) Codey: I don’t get it. It’s not entertaining to me. (0:38:39) Kev: the issue isn’t even the stuff itself per se I mean a little bit but you know like that’s i (0:38:43) Kev: I think also just kind of. (0:38:44) Kev: The nature of the generations, like our parents didn’t get our stuff either or whatever, right? (0:38:49) Kev: Um, but it just feels like so much more prevalent and ingrained and, and virulent than, uh, than other generations. (0:39:01) Codey: Verilent. It’s a virus, the brain rot virus. (0:39:01) Kev: And I’ve been thinking about it really. (0:39:03) Kev: Yeah, it really is. (0:39:06) Kev: And, and it’s, I’ve been thinking like, how should I put this right? (0:39:11) Kev: So when you and I grew up, let’s say, right in our middle school. (0:39:14) Kev: I’m a school, whatever, right? (0:39:15) Kev: Like there are the fads and there’s the playground speak and it would spread or whatever, right? (0:39:19) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:39:20) Kev: But it was still kind of contained to our local area, right? (0:39:22) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:39:24) Kev: Because we didn’t have the internet, but I think about it. (0:39:27) Kev: Like, I think that’s the issue, right? (0:39:29) Kev: All these kids have their phones and the same app. (0:39:32) Kev: So like, it’s all so homogenized. (0:39:35) Kev: Like, I think that’s just why like every single kid knows it and watches the same thing. (0:39:42) Kev: Like, it’s, it’s insane. (0:39:44) Kev: Oh, my gosh. Oh. (0:39:46) Codey: Yeah, that’s a whole other story about like whether or not that stuff is helping or harming (0:39:54) Codey: the socialization of the next generation. (0:39:58) Kev: Mm-hmm. That’s a, that is a good one. (0:39:59) Codey: That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as like, more discussions about (0:40:01) Kev: Yeah. Mm-hmm. (0:40:04) Codey: autism come out and stuff and like having been, you know, diagnosed as a autistic adult (0:40:10) Codey: at this point. (0:40:12) Codey: Um, yeah, but. (0:40:14) Kev: Yeah, it’s (0:40:16) Kev: And it’s tough because we you know, we’re not gonna have all the data until later right like it’s gonna be tougher kind of (0:40:23) Kev: Speculating but um, it’s it’s it’s what to see (0:40:27) Kev: and but I you know (0:40:28) Codey: Well, that’s Far Lands. (0:40:30) Kev: As about yeah, there you go, there’s your point five update for for this it’s out now (0:40:32) Codey: Pull us back. (0:40:33) Codey: Pull us back. (0:40:37) Codey: It’s out now. (0:40:38) Codey: If you want a hostile mob, if you’ve (0:40:40) Codey: been waiting for steam support, they’re there. (0:40:44) Kev: Achievements, they’re in there, too. (0:40:47) Codey: They are there. (0:40:49) Kev: All right, let’s talk– (0:40:51) Kev: those are the updates. (0:40:53) Kev: Let’s talk about some new game announcements. (0:40:54) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:40:55) Kev: Let’s talk about “Scibbity Island.” (0:40:57) Codey: No! (0:40:59) Codey: We were leaving it. (0:41:00) Codey: We were leaving it. (0:41:02) Kev: No, it’s here to stay. (0:41:03) Codey: No, Sunseed, Sunseed Island. (0:41:05) Kev: OK. (0:41:07) Kev: OK, yeah, “Sunseed Island.” (0:41:10) Kev: OK, first of all, this is insanely cute art style. (0:41:14) Kev: Whoever their art team is, they’re (0:41:18) Kev: knocking out of the park. (0:41:20) Kev: The actual game itself, you’re playing (0:41:22) Kev: as a little cat with a little Pikmin-style flower (0:41:25) Kev: star on your head. (0:41:27) Kev: And you’re rebuilding your town. (0:41:29) Kev: You’re farming. (0:41:30) Kev: You’re fishing. (0:41:31) Kev: You’re exploring islands. (0:41:35) Kev: A lot of the hallmarks of the cottage core verse, (0:41:37) Kev: what can I say? (0:41:38) Kev: There’s different– it looks like– (0:41:40) Kev: I think it’s kind of like Animal Crossing, (0:41:42) Kev: where you can sail to different islands, (0:41:43) Kev: and there might be different environments. (0:41:44) Kev: It’s coming on April 24th on the eShop, actually. (0:41:51) Kev: Wait, what? (0:41:53) Kev: Wait, April 24th? (0:41:54) Codey: Oh, so it’s already out. (0:41:55) Kev: Is that already out? (0:41:56) Codey: It’s already out. (0:41:57) Kev: Oh, yeah, it is sale ends. (0:42:00) Codey: Yeah, so it’s already out. (0:42:02) Codey: Yeah, the little things on top– they all have little Pikmin. (0:42:06) Codey: It’s not just your character. (0:42:07) Codey: All the characters look like they (0:42:08) Kev: Yeah. (0:42:09) Codey: have little Pikmin-y things. (0:42:10) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:42:11) Codey: Very cute. (0:42:12) Kev: Yeah. (0:42:14) Codey: And so their blurb for it is, welcome to Sunseed Island, (0:42:18) Codey: the perfect escape for cozy gamers who love (0:42:20) Codey: to farm, explore, and collect. (0:42:24) Codey: Rebuild a lost village, befriend magical creatures, grow crops, (0:42:27) Codey: fish and tranquil waters, and upgrade your tools, (0:42:29) Codey: discover the secrets of a mystical tree, (0:42:31) Codey: and reconnect the scattered islands. (0:42:35) Codey: I could read that for so many different of these games. (0:42:38) Kev: Okay. (0:42:41) Codey: Yeah, it looks cute. (0:42:43) Codey: Looks like all the other ones, unless you’d (0:42:46) Codey: want to play as a cat, then here you go. (0:42:47) Kev: Yep. Yeah. (0:42:49) Codey: So the price, though, was confusing. (0:42:54) Codey: So on May– (0:42:55) Kev: I mean it’s um well right it’s on sale on the us e-shop for three dollars that’s 72% off i’m (0:42:58) Codey: yeah, go for it. (0:43:04) Kev: too lazy to do the math that’s maybe what like 10 bucks maybe um yeah it’s something like that (0:43:10) Kev: usd uh I can’t see this because I don’t have the uke shop but (0:43:14) Kev: per one of al’s notes apparently it is 100 off on the uke shop so (0:43:18) Codey: I feel like they probably fixed that because the note out so Al said that he got it for free (0:43:24) Codey: because it was it was literally free on the eShop so he got that um and then the note that he left (0:43:25) Kev: yep (0:43:28) Kev: I i don’t blame him (0:43:33) Codey: for the US eShop was that it was 90% off but then I looked and it’s definitely 72% off so (0:43:36) Kev: So, sounds like some numbers were crossed and buttons were pushed incorrectly. (0:43:47) Codey: Y’all should– (0:43:49) Codey: Y’all should check this. (0:43:50) Kev: It’s on sale somewhere. (0:43:52) Kev: You can go get it for cheap right now, we’ll tell you that much. (0:43:54) Codey: Yeah, check this regularly. (0:43:57) Codey: Maybe they just are flipping a dice or something, (0:44:00) Codey: like throwing a dart at a board. (0:44:01) Kev: Maybe they put the wrong sign on. (0:44:07) Kev: It happened to me at the store, not just once multiple times, but they had something on sale and it wasn’t on sale, it made me sad because it was like boxes of cereal, it was like buy two, get three free, it was like wow that’s a great deal, and then I went to the register like no that’s wrong, and I was like oh, I guess I won’t get my cereal. (0:44:24) Codey: So check it out if you like the idea of a stardew where you’re a Pikmin cat. (0:44:31) Kev: Yeah, but you know it kills me that (0:44:33) Codey: The next s s island. (0:44:37) Kev: Okay, okay, you know you want to get into all right. Let’s get into that because what I was gonna say for both of these games (0:44:43) Kev: We went from was it sunseed Island to star sand Island, right? And (0:44:46) Codey: - Mm-hmm. (0:44:50) Kev: Look, you know (0:44:51) Kev: It’s a tough market. I get it right like you got to stand out (0:44:56) Kev: It’s tough and you know what there’s redeeming qualities here both of these (0:44:59) Kev: I’m not- I’m not gonna say these are off. (0:45:01) Kev: That’s awful, but I’m- I’m already loading the gun and ready to drag you out behind the barn for using those names because no, no. (0:45:06) Codey: S– yeah, for a lack of originality, for sure. (0:45:13) Kev: You went with the Noun Noun island slash valley, which is- is- (0:45:17) Codey: S– like, nouns that start with S. (0:45:20) Kev: And then you start with S, both of you, like, oh my gosh, what is- you know what, maybe- maybe the Skibitty kids aren’t so bad. (0:45:23) Codey: Yeah. (0:45:31) Codey: This one does look different, though. (0:45:33) Codey: So the blurb of it, again, is basic. (0:45:36) Codey: So it’s leave the hustle of the city behind (0:45:38) Codey: and embrace life on Starsand Island. (0

An important statue is being removed from the Wellington Airport and we think this is the biggest crime in Middle Earth! Hopefully the sculptures will pass. And if you spot a thing that shouldn't be, send it in to janesays@civicmedia.us and we might use it on the show! So join us Monday through Friday at 11:51 a.m. for “This Shouldn't Be A Thing!” or search for it on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. And thanks for listening!!

Today we visit Middle Earth and discuss the score to "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" with Emmy award-winning Composer Stephen Gallagher and Grammy award-winning Producer/Engineer Mark Willsher. Their goal in this project was to “honour the narrative of the film by blending the beloved design and musical language of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy with ideas befitting Kamiyama-san's beautiful hand-drawn anime.” We discuss learning from and enjoying the differences between "The War of the Rohirrim" and the original live action LOTR trilogies in terms of workflow and creative style. We also cover thematic material, composition/mixing techniques and the value of having a trusted collaboration! "Overture" from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is copyrighted and used with permission from WBD Music AS(ASCAP), New Line Tunes (ASCAP) and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights to the music are owned by WBD Music, New Line Tunes, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Join The Man of the West as Gandalf and his Companions reach Edoras and make their way through the town to the top of the hill and Meduseld itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for another Mind Gap Podcast! This week, Doug and Justin tackle an opening question that is the embodiment of Justin's nightmares. You're offered your dream house, but it comes with a tarantula the size of a small dog…do you take it? After shaking off that thought experiment, the guys shift to their main topic: if you were dropped into various fantasy worlds, what would be your chances of survival? The dorks about what they'd bring to survive in places like Middle Earth, Westeros, Forgotten Realms, The Wizarding World, and the Land of Oz.   Things are wrapped up with another round of the movie clip guessing game, where Doug plays clips from different movies and Justin does his best to guess which films they're from.   Check out our YouTube channel where we livestream our new podcast episodes every Tuesday at 8pmCT and our video game stream every Saturday at 8pmCT. Be sure to like and subscribe for this content as well as episode highlights, Doug Watches Awkward Videos, Justin Plays Video games, and more!   We have MERCH now!   Follow us on all of our social medias and other platforms!  

In the first of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, this episode summarises how Tolkien's life experiences, from childhood tragedies to the horrors of war, deeply influenced the themes of his stories. They reflected the complexity of human nature, shaped his creation of Elvish languages, and how Tolkien's love of linguistics led to Middle-Earth - the home of his beloved Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, but also the world he then extended from The Hobbit to create The Lord of the Rings. With several failed attempts struggling to adapt the "unfilmable" material, including one which would have starred The Beatles, animator Ralph Bakshi had first expressed an interest in making a version of The Lord of the Rings in 1957. It would take twenty years for him to get his opportunity, but even then the Dark Lord's forces were against him.Enter producer Saul Zaentz, who stumped up the cash to buy the rights to Tolkien's work, and allowed Bakshi control over his ambitious, passionate attempt to make an animated version of the books, in two parts.Bakshi would choose to shoot an entire live-action film first to use as a visual reference to rotoscope the animation, which was a controversial, expensive and time-consuming choice, but it would lead to a young Peter Jackson becoming inspired to read the novels and find out more...I would love to hear your thoughts on The history of The Lord of the Rings & The Lord of the Rings (1978) !Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and is also now nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMAVerbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioPatrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle & Aaron.This podcast uses the following third-party services...

Comic book creator and writer, Ian Mondrick makes his Spaghetti Town debut. He joins the show to talk about his journey into the West and how it relates to Middle Earth. He makes a bold statement about the universally known sandwich of his city. Ian also talks about his career in indie comics and why his newest book is his favorite so far. Alex and Ian talk about the different struggles of crowd funding and what tips they can give to those eager to jump into the indie pool! Back Stash Box Here Executive Producers: Ian Lotts, Phillip Booker, Wes Bradley, & Tim Bland All WYSP Social Links

Join The Man of the West for more map exploration in Rohan: this time, accompanying Gandalf and the Three Hunters as they ride for Edoras, the capital of Rohan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this follow-up conversation, Allan reconnects with Senior VFX Supervisor Jason Smith for a wide-ranging discussion that revisits his recent work on a flagship fantasy series and pulls back the curtain on life at the top of the industry. The two cover current challenges in large-scale visual effects, evolving studio pipelines, and the mindsets that keep artists relevant over decades.